Written by Tom Bedding
Ben Howard has created a legion of fans and admirers, since his rise to fame with his spin of the ‘singer-songwriter’ bandwagon. The dude is talented and has given us some passionate and soothing songs that resonate with the soul, however consistency is not his middle name. We have had some good singles, decent albums but also some very below par releases that even questions his ability. On his fourth album, he has collaborated with The National’s Aaron Dessner and lets pray, he has some star dust to sprinkle over this release.
To begin with, the synths remind you of something that Brian Eno has done, on the opener, ‘Follies Fixture’. When Ben Howards vocals arrive, it naturally feels familiar and welcomes you in a way that so many fans will enjoy. Aaron Dessner has worked with the songwriter on this LP, which can be heard with the instrumentation that some will naturally compare to Swifts albums of last year.
On ‘What A Day’, we hear a classic melody by the songwriter and it flows so wonderfully, yet sadly the vocal mix is grating and ruins what could be, a really top notch song. It has to be said though, Dessner makes the most of the aesthetic that Ben Howard offers, his production style of being so delicate with what is on offer, stars so well on this single…more so than the actual artist.
The sad tale of the sailor, Donald Crowhurst, who killed himself when struggling to compete in a race around the world, is the topic of the next song. ‘Crowhursts Meme’ feels slightly experimental with its blend of strong guitar lines and looped drums, possibly becoming too much to get a grip off on first listen. The execution is strong, offering a really different shade to Howards work but sadly the melody is utterly dull.
For some reason, we then have to follow a suitcase down a rive on ‘Finders Keepers’, which includes some interesting and cool sounding delayed guitars. The attempts that happen by Ben Howard on his latest effort is commendable, even being impressive with its ambition but does it really go anywhere, maybe he should stick to what he knows?
Which could be backed up on the gentle grovey song of ‘Far Out’, which is actually enjoyable to a good level! We finally reach to some tolerable standard with the overall package on this track, with the melody and bass playing standing out as two impressive parts of the song.
credit: Roddy Bow
Everything is then stripped back effectively on ‘Rookery’, taking us back to Howard’s younger days. The chord progression is good and the way Dessner has captured the much love vocals of the singer, is brilliant. Here we have a song that shows that the artist does not need to through every kind of swing on each track, leaving the concept and idea to shine, not forcing anything to make it better than it already is.
‘You Have Your Way’ has a slight nod to Father John Misty’s second album, ‘I Love You Honeybear’, which is obviously a compliment. The sounds we hear on the song is not overdone (thank god), allowing the beauty of the songs concept to shine with its hook and lovely sounding backing vocals. Deep within the mix we hear some interesting percussion choices and even wind instruments, the delicacy of them really make this song standout on the album.
Then the electronic sounds return on the impressive named song, ‘Sage That She Was Burning’. The song has a long intro, with the this machine sounding drum loop taking the lead over the vocals, before this overdone ‘Ben Howard percussion dynamic shift’ kicks in briefly, that made me roll my eyes instantly. Despite that corny trick to make a song feel like it’s on a path of self discovery, ‘Sage..’ is impressive and will please a lot of fans.
It is not too much surprise that when we get to ‘Sorry Kid’, we have an attempt to bring together the sonics of ‘Collections From The Whiteout’ and the more classic sound that so many enjoy from Ben Howard. Again with another mellow driving drum kit, acting like we are on this rusty path… while kissing a necklace that represents our star sign, this song just satisfies but nothing else. Its melody is nice but the vocal mix again spoils things unfortunately.
You may think Im jumping the gun on putting down the qualities of this LP, but I can say that ‘Unfurling’ needs a few listens as it has quality, with a melody that is oddly engaging. The mixing of the song is dark but brings you in for some reason, while the acoustic guitar and drumming stands out so well. ‘Unfurling’ goes to places but without shifting to anything differently, maybe the nicely played strings does a lot to make this good song feel even better.
Possibly one of the most annoying song titles follows next, with ‘Metaphysical Connotations’. For me, the percussion represents the big down fall of this record, it had too many ideas for anyone to settle down with and enjoy. It could annoy you, it could make you feel that it is brilliant but it won’t make you simply go ‘ahhhh’…like your first sip of your brew.
Aaron Dessner’s guitar work shines during the last moments of the album and in particular on ‘Make Arrangements’, which thankfully keeps to more simpler approach to the percussion. The chugging sound is effective and the melody by Howard is definitely a lot stronger on this cut. ‘Collections’ just seems to be a mixed bag, showing what the singer songwriter can do but at the same time, how easily it can be to get lost in a projects concept.
Ben Howard’s recent release finishes suddenly, starting with ‘The Strange Last Fight of Richard Russell’. This track begins with a tranquil and quizzical opening, setting a sparse scene for Ben Howard to deliver some haunting vocals. Sadly the song feels like it walks off, forgetting that it needs to engage the listener but thankfully the guitars shine like crystals.
After that mixed bag we have the last track and……. how quirky is it to finish off with a plucky, acoustic track called ‘Buzzard’! Okay sorry for sounding patronising, it just triggered me for some reason. The brief music is solid but ends before you can sit down and think about, the album is finishing?
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