I don't usually go for contemporary folk music. That term itself, "folk music," conjures up images of oh-so-sensitive and self-important, delicate artistes. Lame hippy crap in the same bland mold as Dave Matthews, minus the big budget and slick production, that clings to some simple-minded notion of "purity" by virtue of the fact that it's just one painfully earnest dude with an acoustic guitar. To most of these types I'm inclined to say, "Dylan, Goodman or Prine you ain't; get off my lawn and go take a bath."But this, this is something altogether different. Initial listenings sounded like a cool juxtaposition of fingerpicked acoustic guitar and electronic white noise. While that juxtaposition remains central to my interest in "School of the Flower," it grabbed me upon closer inspection how well this guy does both elements. No matter how harsh and grating the noise gets, it never overwhelms the record's peaceful heart; no matter how reassuring the acoustic sounds the noise is never too far away. I've really never heard anything quite like it: at its noisiest, "School of the Flower" posesses an unruffled placididity that evinces a Buddhist sense of detachment in spite of its own internal distractions. Plus, I like the way the vocals are pushed down in the mix and heavily echoed on some songs.