Byrne - 'Slowly & Gloriously' (Rocket Girl)
4/5
By: Austin Louis Ray
From the icy blue cover, and the understated, sleepy melodies, to songs-titles reading 'Waiting For Winter', Byrne's mini-album, 'Slowly and Gloriously', is music for the frosty months. Taking hints from Elliot Smith, Kings of Convenience and Belle & Sebastian, the Glasgow singer-songwriter and band have created a fittingly bracing soundtrack to accompany many-a-listener as the days get cold.
Kicking off the six-track offering is the aforementioned 'Waiting...', amidst which dreamy harmonies are accompanied by light piano and distant harmonica, setting the scene for Patrick Byrne's androgynous vocals: 'Waitin' for the winter, honey/Standin' in the sun/Waitin' for the bad times, baby/They might never come.' With such hopeful sentiments as these, you might expect an upbeat tune; however, this is not the case with Byrne... Even in its poppier moments, the group still manages to bring even the shiniest of listeners down. Yet, refreshingly, the melancholy proves not always a matter to become distraught over.
... Such is the case with the acoustic-flavored, 'Tidal Wave'. If 'Slowly and Gloriously' is the soundtrack for the passing of a year, then 'Tidal Wave' is that day where the sun comes out for an instant, only to retreat after a few hours of reign; the hopes of spring are dashed from any denizen trapped within the chilly confines, and arctic conditions once again prevail.
'Drink All Day' sets things back to their glacial origins as such, Byrne's fragile vocal-delivery hitting a new level here, varying from barely audible to just above paper-thin, as a sole guitar accompanies this ode to alcohol-enhanced isolation. When the new level of quiet dies down, all that's left is an instrumental hidden-track, ensuring that the closing moments of 'Slowly and Gloriously' belie the rest of the release, as if Byrne is trying to contradict its previous statements... Then again, maybe it was just trying to avoid the winter connection from that very first track:
'Don't wait for the winter, baby/Cause it may never come.'
Better yet, don't believe Byrne. Winter is here - and he has the perfect music for the season.
Artists in this article: Byrne
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