Review Summary: Living without her, living at all, seems to slow me down
Life is a roller coaster, made up of ups and downs. Sometimes, however, the downs in life bring forth the most beautiful moments. This metaphor aptly describes the nature of Ben Howard on this record, with his happy times being a thing of the past (With “Every Kingdom), and a season of hurt, loss, and recovery affecting his present. However, as said before, the worst times in life can help create amazing new things, and can test a person, only to make them stronger in the end. This is the case with Ben Howard’s musical capabilities, as this record shows a very strong increase in not only his songwriting capabilities, but his lyrical capabilities as well.
Darkness pervades this album, but it is not necessarily a bad darkness. It’s the type of darkness that is shielding from light and outside sources, but also peaceful and gratifying. There are more upbeat tracks, like the second track, “River’s In Your Mouth”, but most songs contain a somber feel to them, as if they were just written after a breakup, loss of a friend, or even just a subtle wave of depression. This style of music is indie folk at it’s core, but it contains influence of indie rock, and even a little shoegaze and ambient. The blend is perfect as it isn’t as straightforward as a lot of acoustic indie folk, but has many subtle buildups to climaxes containing percussion and drums, and also some very interesting guitar picking. The best example of this, and also the best song on the album is, “End of the Affair”, which is the album’s epic, at just under eight minutes. The song encapsulates everything the album is about, both thematically and musically, with an atmosphere of an oncoming thunderstorm, and lyrics suggesting a love that has ended or been broken. The guitar work also shows Ben Howard’s immense finger picking skill, and also his chord progressions, which are very melodic and personal.
This record is a long listen for the genre, clocking in at over 54 minutes, but each second flies by with each song, some songs bringing something new to the table and changing the pace. For example, “River’s In Your Mouth” brings a faster more upbeat sound, in contrast with the rest of the album’s darker sound. But if there is one issue, it is the lack of overall variety, with most songs sounding vaguely similar, and having similar song structures. This can make it hard to find standout tracks, but also makes it easier to get absorbed into the album. Those things aside, this is one of the most enjoyable listens of 2014, and a new landmark in Ben Howard’s career.
