Play any of Maxine Funke’s picturesque, lowkey folk tunes and you might think she was the voice of a generation calling from decades ago, lost to time until the dust is blown off of an old LP dug out from the archives, perhaps like the rediscovered legacies of Vashti Bunyan or Karen Dalton. That is, until the occasional drum machine kicks in and brings you back to the 21st century. Having played in underground New Zealand bands such as $100 Band and The Snares since 2002, Funke began her solo career in 2008, and Disciples aim to make sure that none of it is forgotten with Pieces Of Driftwood gathering songs from limited vinyl runs, compilation features and unreleased material.
Peer beyond the lo-fi aesthetic and into the lyrics and you’ll find an unmistakably modern stamp on Funke’s writing. Painting domestic scenes with light and airy vocals, she delivers heartfelt lines that pick apart the human condition with ease. Amongst humming organs she details the hurdles of communication, and with sweet vocal harmonies describes people, places, and nature to literary effect. Even instrumental tracks like the opening ‘Rearview’ with longtime collaborator Alastair Galbraith convey quaint and bucolic imagery, as sunbleached beats and guitar plucks wade in the water of the background noise.
On her first release for Disciples, Maxine Funke brings rare and unreleased tracks together to shine a spotlight on her down to earth acoustic artistry.