Like a secret told between the closest of friends lying in a sea of honeysuckle & bathed by a distant sun; the sad, sweet songs on this album feel as though they should traipse the lips of few and grace the ears of even fewer. Unlike such a secret, Arrow and Orb contains such a powerful brand of melancholy that emotion itself becomes an inverse function, barreling through the tunnels and hills of some distant dreamfield like the magnificent wings of some long-forgotten phoenix. Fire and brimstone meet the will of a suffocating ocean, handing smoldering, quiet passages of vocals and guitar into a whirlwind of bells, whistles, mandolin, percussion, bass, and more.
A voice that is sometimes a bass, sometimes based in dust and ancestry... from oceanic depths to a fluttering trill in moments of passage. This voice carries the album with a detached passion and direct attack on the senses simultaneously, delivering words of a heart aching for grander pastures.
At times sounding like a lost, hardened gem from the thousands of overlooked folk artists of the 60s and 70s, others sounding like a modern country venture steeped in international mystique, the album is tied together with the golden strands of true composition and songwriting, never once faltering and always packing a hand more powerful than any deliverable punch.
Press for ARROW AND ORB
We know many musicians out there who have used a bathroom to record their vocals for albums or demos so it makes perfect sense that Out of Town Films' latest installment with local folk act Bad Braids (the moniker of Megan Biscieglia) sounds so pretty. [THE DELI MAGAZINE]
Bad Braids is a cleverly-monikered Philly folk act fronted by singer and songwriter Megan Biscieglia and a rotating cast of friends. The group recently played a low-key show in Germantown, jointly presented by our friends at both Folkadelphia and Yvynyl, and in the process performed for local music videographers Out of Town Films. The filmmakers shot each of the four acts on the lineup in various rooms throughout the house; Bad Braids found themselves sitting and playing in a Victorian styled, claw-footed bathtub that evening, performing a song called 'White Mane'. [THE KEY / WXPN]
Welcome to the the Church of Our Lady of Psychefolkedelia! Today's sermon will be lead by our resident high priest, Philly badass choir-folk outfit Bad Braids and their gyroscopic amalgamations of out-there acid tripping and grounded country folk stompin'. The brainchild of Megan Biscieglia and Cameron Vance, Bad Braids shred in a much gentler fashion, grazing the fringes of your eardrums with twangy acoustic guitar and soft feedback. Vocal harmonization fills in the negative space like molder's putty, oooohing and aaaaaaahing prettily but with a sure grip. It's almost choirlike in the roundness of the sound - peep "Oh Righteous One" from their lone EP, "Arrow and Orb" for a taste of shimmering operatic sweetness. [BOSTON HASSLE]
[...]Get to know a delightful and beautiful collection of songs, the pieces featuring delicate moonlight guitar and the wonderful voice of Mike Bruno, a mix of Devendra Banhart and Tim Buckley, giving the songs a heady twist that is very pleasing to the ear. [...]the lyrics hint of sadness, of time too soon passed, that nostalgia and longing hanging like perfume around the whole album, giving it its own identity, like an old friend returned. A complex and layered album, this collection needs several plays before it comes into focus, its timeless beauty, guaranteeing its longevity. [DON'T COUNT ON IT]
Brooklyn-based Bad Braids is the talented Megan Biscieglia. Her first EP Arrow and Orb is a lovely and simple affair, with each song a no-frills but emotional tour-de-force that showcases Biscieglia’s pure, sincere and haunting voice and songwriting. [ALT INTERSTATE]
I can't stop listening to this. Bad Braids is Megan Biscieglia, and she is the perfect blend of Americana and pop sensibility. This album is a true testament to the power of simple folk songs. The sound of the recordings coupled with her sparse arrangements creates the image a cave nestled somewhere in the Mojave desert, and inside that cave are hidden the riches and treasures of a lifetime. Make sure you have this in your battery-powered boom box when your car breaks down on that road trip you were planning. [MIXED VEGETABLES]
Bad Braids is a very intimate project, clearly intended to showcase the beautiful talents of Megan Biscieglia. Her talents as a guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist are on full display throughout Arrow and Orb, a fascinating and ingenious release that mixes gypsy-folk, psychedelia, and country-rock with awe-inspiring results. Biscieglia's voice has a sort of twang often present in Celtic tunes, and her quivering presence is a riveting cross between Marissa Nadler and 10,000 Maniacs' Natalie Merchant. [OBSCURE SOUND]
- Purchase Relic
about Bad Braids
Armed with a guitar and supported by a militia of wooded and winded instruments galore, songstress Megan Biscieglia has a tendency to deadlift the listener into a dreamfield of ambient soundscapes with a backbone to count on.
