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- Record Label: Thrill Jockey
- Release Date: May 22, 2026
- Summary: Marisa Anderson interpreted nine songs selected from Harry Smith's music archive, focusing on regions the United States has had conflicts with since 1970, the year of her birth.
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- Record Label: Thrill Jockey
- Genre(s): Folk, Avant-Garde
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 7
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Mixed: 0 out of 7
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Negative: 0 out of 7
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Jul 6, 2026Among the most ambitious projects in Anderson’s ambitious catalog, The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music Vol. 1 is a major achievement in terms of scholarship and bringing these fascinating and compelling pieces of music to a broad audience, in like manner as Harry Smith’s anthology helped popularize U.S. folk music. It is also a pleasure to listen to and a demonstration of Anderson’s understated mastery of the guitar.
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UncutMay 22, 2026A beautiful record that transcends the concept. [Jun 2026, p.26]
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May 22, 2026As an artist, Anderson's own contributions to American independent music are significant, making her sharp rebuke of nationalism and xenophobia even more powerful.
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MojoMay 22, 2026Her deft, dexterous guitar creates a bewitching tapestry that ushers old traditions into the present. [Jul 2026, p.84]
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May 22, 2026In lesser hands, this anthology could have become a record of superficial homages or, worse, an exercise in cultural appropriation. But Anderson is a master of her craft, and her performances are as respectful as they are mesmerising.
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May 22, 2026Her whole album constantly and magically questions how porous far-flung musical cultures really are.
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May 26, 2026She may have strained in her studies, but her playing belies none of it, which is relaxed and supple and careful and patient.