Folkadelphia Session: Lily & Madeleine

It’s certainly easy to stay focused on the musical accomplishments and inherent talent compared to the respective ages of Lily and Madeleine Jurkiewicz, the sisters that make up the duo Lily & Madeleine. The accomplishments are grand – an LP and EP in the bag, a fantastic sophomore album Fumes to be imminently released by Sufjan Steven’s Asthmatic Kitty Records, the talent runs deep and strong in these two, and their ages, well, let’s just say teenaged. Instead of framing it like “look what these girls have accomplished and they’re only BLAH BLAH BLAH years old,” how about we say that Lily and Madeleine have just commenced on their hopefully long and fruitful musical journey.

What a thrill it has been to hear what they’ve produced thus far, on their debut EP The Weight of the Globe and their eponymous first LP, we heard tenderness, ringing clarity, and pristine pop sensibility, all wrapped up with a folksy bow. On their forthcoming Fumes, L&M shed some cliches, some heart-on-their-sleeve adoration and imitation, and starting honing in on their own voice and style. At times, they even take that untarnished sheen that has accompanied their previous work and they smear a little grit all up in there. Nice to see it! As of this posting, we’re just starting to dig into Fumes and we can’t wait to hear more.

When Lily and Madeleine joined us at the WXPN Studio back in May of 2014, they presented music from their previous releases stripped down to its fundamental parts: catchy melodies, angelic harmonies (oh and how they soar!), and a knack for live performance. Shannon Hayden joins the duo on cello and mandolin, helping to create a very special Folkadelphia Session. The three return to Philadelphia for a concert at the World Cafe Liveon November 7th, 2014.