Review Summary: Comfort, his discomfort.
The demon Acedia only spared some. Primed in the shadows, awaiting for just a moment’s questioning, it’d seek to kill the soul via apathy. While few were hidden from its eye, the holy men of the day were of particular value; their incessant meditation and pursuit of purpose was fertile ground for the
hevy, thoughtful and wrawe husks such indolent spirit was capable of producing. Moses Sumney isn’t necessarily apathetic. If anything,
Aromanticism is a caution of a newer demon. One that runs rampant in a culture of transience. The demon Desire spares none. Hidden within layered textures and fractured croons lies a restless soul, bloodied from the contempt of content. In astonishing clarity, Moses Sumney lays himself bare; the soul-tinged folk ballads serve only to bolster a message already brimming with intricacies. Comfort, his discomfort.
”I would give my life just for the privilege to ignore.”
In almost stark contrast to the conflict plaguing his lyricism, Sumney’s sonic creation is uncomfortably lucid. Somehow, irrespective of the persistent choral flair throughout,
Aromanticism’s harmonic tendencies only emphasize the loneliness he almost embellishes. His delicate falsetto on the verge of falling apart in “Indulge Me” stands appropriately solitude as he sings
”all my old lovers have found others / I was lost in the rapture”, aided by nothing more than some simple strumming on an acoustic guitar. And yet, the warmer follow-up line,
”dead sea as barren as a stutter and colored laughter”, manages to feel noticeably more isolating as he harmonizes with himself.
”Will I die for living numb..."
It isn’t without its sheen and fireworks but
Aromanticism doesn’t seem concerned with how it looks, even if it rarely strays from beautiful euphony. On will, Sumney alternates between achingly torn and precise. There is disparate talent backing his story but it’s almost an aside. Living in loveless solidarity, and the persistent battle to be honest with his human wants and needs is what keeps this record afloat. It isn’t an enticing or attractive perspective; current culture’s infatuation with infatuation has no space for those who pursue isolation as a viable option. And even if the only thing Sumney ever achieved with
Aromanticism was making these introspections understood to even a few people, I’d like to think he succeeded.
