Manchester is a city with a long-standing connection with English pop-rock music, sometimes more relevant than that of Swingin' London – from 10cc to Autechre, from Andy Gibb to Peter Hammill, from the Gallagher brothers to Theatre Of Hate, from Joy Division to the Smiths. Despite this, it is strange and unusual to imagine the English city's connections with the folk scene, a welcoming and uncrowded creative sphere, the perfect place for the extravagant and ethereal sounds of Caoilfhionn Rose (correct pronunciation Keelin Rose).
The debut of the young pianist and author (“Awake”, 2018) had convinced for her vocal skills and an unpredictable dream-folk sensibility, but in the following “Truly” all the elements fell into place, thanks also to the support of Matthew Halsall (musician but also owner of the record label Gondwana) and Caoilfhionn's husband, the guitarist and co-producer Rich Williams.
With her third album “Constellation” the author shows that she wants to expand her personal artistic dimension, a choice that also finds graphic support thanks to Daniel Halsall, an artist already responsible for many covers of the Gondwana Records production, fully involved as designer of the whole packaging of the Manchester musician's last two albums.
The refined graphic elaboration of the covers corresponds to a musicality of equal depth. The exploratory and experimental nature of the English artist's music is a harbinger of unexpected creative impulses: the first dream-folk imprints have been replaced by a solid and intelligently cultured art-pop structure.
The compositions are more like mosaics: chords and melodies seem to be the result of collages, wrapped in ethereal sounds, rich in echoes and reverberations, flowing even when the rhythmic structure offered by the bass and drums appears rigid.
Caoilfhionn's voice is increasingly similar to an instrument, a quality that in addition to attracting the patron of Gondwana, Matthew Halsall, had already stimulated the interest of Vini Reilly, who for the latest album of Durutti Column (Chronicle Xl” 2014) had chosen her as the protagonist of four tracks. Further reason for curiosity and interest is offered by the presence of musicians such as Jordan Smart of Mammal Hands and the pianist John Ellis, a founding member of the Cinematic Orchestra.
The ambient-folk grace of “Rainfall”, the elegant and ingenious pop-jazz geometry of “Simple” and the fascinating pagan spirituality of “Wandering Mind” are more convincing than any pun I can invent to intrigue you.
“Constellation” is an album that celebrates the magic of nature, through sound physiognomies that capture jazz, folk, classical and ambient elements to elevate them to an otherworldly dimension.
The three-voice dialogue of “Drifting Dust”, where piano and jazz rhythms intercept the wordless singing, the enchanting ethereal magic of “Josephine”, the mystical cosmic-jazz fluctuation of “A Light In The Middle” and the psychedelic intoxication that takes over the hypnotic “Another Sky” are just some of the little pearls of an album that has no equivalents in contemporary production. A concentration of talent and inspiration that deserves your attention.
11/08/2024
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
