Ed Harcourt - 'Loneliness' (Heavenly)
4/5
By: Lauren Gallagher
Adored by lovers, loathed by loners, Valentine's Day suffers from perpetually mixed reviews. Roses, chocolates, and champagne... oh sod it. We all know more than half of us end up on our own with some popcorn, a DVD, and cheap Chianti for one in bed with the lights out.
It seems ironic, yet appropriate, that Ed Harcourt's Valentine's Day single release from 3rd album 'Strangers,' is an ode to solitude: 'Loneliness.' Arpeggiated chords cascade down the keyboard, twinkling away like flickering moonlight. Melancholy is not unfamiliar to the heartfelt Harcourt, but 'Loneliness' has a bit more bop. 'Strays around won't let you be', languishes Harcourt, before he is chased by spectral femme voices chanting 'Loneliness'. Regardless of how much we may claim otherwise, isolation persistently declares its omnipresence. The tune dances around a twisted relationship, 'Loneliness, what would I do without you?'
Perhaps one can have a love affair with loneliness. At the very least, it's consistent. If a fetching chorus, some fancy guitar, and a shimmering orchestration is what that love affair sounds like, perhaps solitude isn't so bad after all.
Artists in this article: Ed Harcourt
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