Bill Fay - Countless Branches

Talking of transcendence, Bill Fay's Countless Branches, which came out a week or so ago, slots into a particular category almost of all of its own. This is meditative, ruminative stuff from someone who must suspect he may not have too much time left on the planet and is determined to make every second count. It ticks along to a different clock than other records, and sings its own tune. It's often unashamedly sentimental and infused with fragile passion.

Nature is a natural companion for this kind of pursuit. As you get older your relationship with the world around you change you see the eternal all around you. That which will outlast you. This is what Fay is up to here. The songs on Countless Branches are full of wonder and regret. Many of them instantly numbering themselves among the best of his long career.

He's enjoyed a late renaissance that few, least of all he himself I suspect, would have expected. It's very well deserved, as every song here has a trembling, wistful quality. They're poignant and deeply heartfelt, eulogies to himself and a world that perhaps is dying with him.It may not be a record that cheers the heart but it does offer plenty of poetic consolation. Fay doesn't claim to have the answers but he does ask a lot of the right questions. A special record.