Ear to the Ground: Schuyler Fisk

I admit I’m a sucker for a good acoustic song. But these days, there are so many of these artists that they all start to sound the same and it’s hard to find someone whose music is extraordinary enough that I’ll listen all the way through the CD.

I don’t exactly remember how I fell into the lap of Schuyler Fisk’s music. It was somewhere in between stalking her IMDb page after watching her in the mediocre 1995 film The Babysitters’ Club Movie and hearing that my friend was a fan of hers. I knew she was the daughter of Sissy Spacek, and that she [Fisk] was a decent singer. It wasn’t until I took the leap and downloaded her album The Good Stuff (which, not to mention, climbed to #1 on the iTunes Folk Charts earlier this year) that I fell in love with folk music all over again.

The Good Stuff is composed of very smooth, easy songs. Fisk does not take any liberal risks with the songs, yet this is what makes the album worth listening to. I might even (tritely) compare it to hanging out with your best friend; it’s comfortable, safe, and doesn’t get old. It seems to match any mood I’m in, which, I’ve discovered, is a rarity in the musical world. The lyrics sound like something a typical teenage girl would scribble down to get out her feelings, and it is for this reason that I found Fisk so relatable and her music so enjoyable.

While I recommend giving The Good Stuff a chance and listening to every song, there are some standout tracks. Two of my favorites are “From Where I’m Standing”, which was featured in the recent movie I Am Reed Fish, and “Hello” which features Fisk’s wispy voice and simple lyrics: “You know what they say /You can’t have it so you want it back /I’m way past that /Believe me /If you could be in my life/Like you’ve been on my mind /It’d be so easy.” Additionally, the title song and “You’re Happening to Me” bring in folksy beats which I could easily put on repeat while driving with the windows down.

Schuyler Fisk’s The Good Stuff already has a place on my favorite albums of this year, and it’s pretty close to the top. I know it’ll be a soundtrack for my summer because Fisk’s sound seems to embody my perfect summer evening—the sun going down and a cool breeze blowing by while I’m spending time with a few of my closest friends.