After 2018’s Noonday Dream, the British singer-songwriter returns with a collaborative LP with guitarist Aaron Dessner of the National adding other talents that help stretches his styles beyond folk into electronica and beyond. Among the other collaborators who regular Dessner friends Jason Treuting of So Percussion, keyboardist Thomas Bartlett), as well as Howard’s bandmates India Bourne and Mickey Smith, there’s also Big Thief’s James Krivchenia and jazz drummer Yussef Dayes, the latter, who shares some songwriting, bringing significant rhythmical and more elements, especially on Crowhurst’s Meme, a song inspired by the famous yachtsman. The album is filled with references to historical figures that dip in and out of other metaphors, such as the song about the plane thief, The Strange Last Flight of Richard Russell. There are also experimental, the rumbling distortions on Finders Keepers, the gentle Unfurling and Metaphysical Cantations. On the more stripped back What A Day Howard’s vocal inflections echo that of John Martyn, while Follies Fixture has him single with a fragility above whirling keyboard backdrop. Sage That She Was Burning mixes softer sounds with clashing, crashing guitar distortions, while Rookery is perhaps simpler a pick of the crop, a more traditional and rather beautiful guitar-folk number with nicely constructed narrative. A fascinating mixture of delicacy, experiment and changeability. Out on Island.
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