Findlay Brown
Slow Light
Reviewed by: Ziggy Merritt
My focus in the wide world of music criticism has been a noted obsession with all things punk and post-punk. Whenever I get the chance to review something distinctly separate from these two broad classifications I view it as something of a breather. Folk music has acted this role for the past few months and with the most recent inclusion of Findlay Brown’s third album, Slow Light, it continues to up my expectations for what makes a “good” folk album.
Part of that vibe, that “good” quality, is a feeling of ease and relaxation. I feel at ease when I listen to the first track “Run Home”, one of the more traditional and pastoral numbers on the album. Throughout Slow Light Brown’s voice is a distant echo backed here on “Run Home” by the pleasant strum of a mid-tempo guitar. “Make a Getaway” is where things get quite a bit more interesting with an opening groove I might expect from an 80s post-punk album. Yet where I could have expected the depressive croon of Robert Smith, this groove is instead married to Brown’s sonorous vocal stylings. The following procession is joined by a chorus of subtle synths leading to an upbeat refrain, something that remains true to Brown’s more sentimental character.
“Mountain Falls For The Sea” finds Findlay coming back to the more traditional roots that started in “Run Home”. It’s undecorated of the more lush instrumentation that came before, yet manages to find its purpose and significance in Brown’s careful, rambling vocals. It’s the most likely contender to open up the waterworks with the narrative of an all-encompassing love driving up the innocent passion of the piece.
The oncoming orchestral start-up of “Emeralds” signifies a separation of the album into two distinct suites. That same orchestral theme seems to accompany the following track “All Is Love” throughout its length. Its grand presence builds and builds until it’s topped by a layer of harmonious electronics, reminding me of something I might hear in the grandiose setting of an M83 album.
Throughout it all there was never a time I grew bored with anything presented to me on Slow Light. It remains as engaging from the first track to the last, each song representing an as of yet undiscovered facet of Findlay Brown. The only thing I could comprehend faulting it for is the somewhat unfocused direction. While each track is marked by its own signature style the randomness of what I might find next can be a little too jarring at times. This quandary is in part mended by a stylized separation into two distinct album halves via “Emeralds”, yet even this separation is not enough to diminish the effect. Still this remains something of an insignificant concern when placed in context with everything else. Through bouts of psychedelic instrumentation, the always appreciated inclusion of the humble synthesizer, and Brown’s gorgeous vocals, Slow Light proves itself as not just a “good” folk album but a great one.
Rating: Iconic
