Last Friday was a wonderful one for outstanding new records. During the day and over the weekend I enjoyed five or six really notable albums, very different from one another but each worthy of attention in terms of their sheer quality. By no means the least of them, in fact very close if not right on top of the heap was this, the eponymous album from Bonny Light Horseman.
It's a New Folk album, if labels are needed, and a warm, textured and highly directed and thoughtful one at that. The songs roll with convicted momentum like a horse and carriage making their way home to a warm open hearth, (apt given the record's cover or perhaps this has made me draw the comparison). The product of a union between Anais Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, (Fruit Bats, Shins), and Josh Kaufman, (The National).
Mixing a handful of standards with inspired originals of their own it's a true feast. Familiar yet fresh. For once the band's press release hits the nail on the head. 'An elusive kind of sonic event: a bottled blend of lightning and synergy that will excite fans of multiple genres and eras.' Slightly glib perhaps but nevertheless pretty much a spot on description.
I must confess that after the four utterly wonderful opening tracks my attention wandered a little for a while as it settled into slight worthiness. The project is at its finest when Mitchell is at the heart of proceedings as she has a truly spectral presence. When she drifts to the margins things lag rather. Nevertheless at best their is some wonderful and truly haunting spell casting taking place here.
Bon Iver's Justin Vernon takes the mic and offers his stamp of approval in penultimate track Bright Morning Stars, by which time they've made their case. Bonny Light Horseman stakes a strong case to be a Trinity Sessions for the 2020's. Exquisite musicianship, classically arranged and immaculately delivered.
No comments:
Post a Comment