Phosphorescent - Revelator

 

Oh I give up. I really do! there is simply too much great music coming out just now. We're at the beginning of April and I already have 70 great albums for my end of year countdown. I've reviewed most of the albums I've liked, though it becomes more of a struggle to keep up,  and might set off on here with my 200 albums for the year in a couple of months.

I have no fears that there will be at least 200 albums that I like or love this year. Last Friday was a great new release day and there were at least seven or eight albums released which will make my end of year list. I start with the best known releases. Then make my way down to the more obscure. There are probably some genres I favour more than others. I am Indie, essentially. That is my disposition. As a person and as a music listener. I try to be as broad as I can. I'm pleased to see my blog is getting a lot of hits thee days.Onwards and upwards.

To Phosphorescent, an artist I will always associate with one of my best friends Rod. I went to univesrsity with Rod and we roomed next to one another in our first year and attended the same school, English at American Studies at UEA Norwich. I like to think we got lucky. I realised afterwards that this was probably the best University to attend and study Literature in the UK at the time and remained so for a quite a while after we both left. Oxbridge had a fossilised approach at the time. I learned so much in five years there and am still feeding on what I learned and the friendships I formed. The memories I made. 

I lost touch with Rod for over twenty years. The details don't matter. The important thing is we reconnected and have renewed our friendship on a constant basis for the last fifteen years. Through Rod, I've reconnected with someother  fundamental friends I made at UEA. The stuff of life.

Rod turned me onto Matthew Houck, the myseterious artist behind Phosphorescent about 2013 with the release of Muchacho which I'd still say is his go to record. He has precedents as an artist. I always think of Van Morrison for some reason. Bon Iver. He's essentially an artist who takes you 'Into the Mystic'. Latest record .Revelator, his first for  eight and my reeckoning his eighth in all finds him mining the rich mineshaft of glod he first started working on about twenty years back. 

Houck is somebody who makes similar records I'd say but that doesn't really matter. It's like friendships. You don't expect people to change, there was a reason you got on in the first place. But you hope you'll all grow. And prosper. It generally happens. Revelator is another magical record. Devotees will not be disappointed.