In the 70s and 80s, buying a record, in addition to sharing it with friends, was associated with the ritual of searching through the notes on the inside cover for musicians with recognized technical skills, artists who stimulated curiosity with their presence: how many blind purchases by virtue of the presence of that guitarist, that saxophonist or that drummer? Despite the return of vinyl support, I doubt that this practice is frequent today, otherwise the number of curious people for Alex Sopp's debut would be much more conspicuous than the miserable ten present on Rateyourmusic.
The American musician, former member of yMusic, The Knights and NOW Ensemble, has a rich history of collaborations with renowned artists (among many Paul Simon, Nico Muhly, St. Vincent, Sufjan Stevens, Ben Folds, Jonsí of Sigur Ros, Gabriel Kahane, The National, My Brightest Diamond, Dirty Projectors and, yes, even Taylor Swift), and has been praised for her skills as a flutist and singer, as well as a painter and designer (some recent album covers bear his signature).
Alex Sopp found in Thomas Bartlett/Doveman (member of Gloaming as well as producer for St.Vincent, Beth Orton, Glen Hansard, Norah Jones and many others) the perfect accomplice for the implementation of the alienating dream-folk atmospheres with the cultured neoclassical and minimalist attitudes of these ten creations.
Far from denying sensitive references to the most important pages naive by Kate Bush (those of albums like “Never For Ever” or “The Dreaming”) or valuable assonances to Julia Holter and Laurie Anderson, “The Hem & The Hawk” still turns out to be one of the most stimulating novelties of the current year, thanks to its narrative depth and the elegant dialogue between experimentation and pop music.
The delicate, nostalgic waltz time of “Roses,” the dreamy, theatrical display of horns, drums, vocals and other delights of “Mourning Dove,” and the smooth blend of folk and Philip Glass-esque minimalism of “Like A Vine” are enough to appreciate Alex Sopp as a writer, musician and performer. The derivative nature of “The Hem & The Hawk” is ultimately no handicap, the title track It's one of those folk-pop dances marked by Sabbath rhythms and magic flutes that Kate Bush hasn't written for decades, while the superb mix of goth-folk, electronic noise and the organised chaos of “North Pole Summer” and the powerful and sumptuous interweaving of medieval drums and wind instruments of the enchanting “Bougainvillea” are the result of a wise and cultured reinterpretation of classical and folk canons, not entirely ordinary or obvious.
There is a powerful evocative and communicative value in Alex Sopp's music, a quality that the introspective intensity of “Rodin's Hand” and the almost neoclassical harmonic dynamics of “Ah Said Rosita” enhance with class. Hidden among many small pearls of instrumental and vocal wisdom, lies the deceptive lightness of “Door”, an energetic glitch-folk (if I may use the curious and useless stylistic name) that for a moment raises the tension and attention, capturing the listener just as the song of the sirens bewitched Ulysses, a flash of pop creativity that offers a further key to reading an adventurous and intelligent album.
06/07/2024
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
