The Veils - 'Asphodels' Album Review

Tracklist:

Asphodels
O Fortune Teller
The Ladder
The Dream of Life
Mortal Wound
The Sum
Melancholy Moon
Concrete After Rain
A Land Beyond

Opening track 'Asphodels', also the title track for the album, is a slow burner, gentle, romantic and very basic in its arrangement, the minimum number of instruments, a smooth and relaxed approach but with a yearning quality to the vocals. It very much sets the scene for the album.

'O Fortune Teller', the second track, starts off very much in the same vein, less is more is clearly the order of the day. The vocals are plaintive, with a hint of longing yet determination. They mesh very well with the strings and piano. It’s the kind of song that would be beautiful to listen to in an old, converted church, with candles and minimum lighting, this is not music to dance to, it’s music to sit back and sink into.

Third track, 'The Ladder', shows the quality of the harmonies The Veils have, it also starts to bring the tempo up in an unexpected way, building to an almost crescendo before suddenly slowing down again. The piano is more insistent, the singing as full of emotion as on the first two songs but the strings are also more prominent.

As the forth song, 'The Dream of Life', makes clear, this is not an album to put on to get your party started, it’s the kind of album you play by yourself or with a loved one, cosying up with a nice glass of something with a log burner on and the knowledge you can sit back, listen and absorb the music the lyrics and the beauty of the arrangements.

I don’t know the band so don’t know who the piano player is but they are very talented, they create a vibe on 'Mortal Wound' that draws you in instantly, I think it’s my favourite song on the album, the vocals soar, the rhythm of the drums drives it but it’s a song that belongs, in my mind, to whoever is playing the piano.

I’m not going to go through the rest of the album song by song, if what I’ve said so far appeals to you then you need to discover the rest for yourself.

Some of the vocals are almost spoken, some soulful, some reminded me on early Lenoard Cohen, There is a liberal use of strings throughout and a feeling of what I can best describe as lushness.

Breaking my own statement above about not discussing any more songs in detail and allowing you to discover them for yourselves the possible, surprise of the album for me is 'Melancholy Moon', it’s the main challenger for my favourite song, I have gone back and forth on this and by the time you read this it may be my favourite again. It’s a lovely song, both upbeat and, not surprisingly, melancholy at the same time but the strongest feeling I took from it is of a man who does not want to be melancholy, who wants to hold onto that happier feeling.

The overwhelming feeling I felt listening to this album was of peace mixed with sadness and yet hope. It’s a lovely body of work that I suspect you won’t hear much on the radio but which, should you choose to discover it, you may just become addicted to, at points it started to remind me of the Blue Nile in their pomp but it’s a different kind of record. It deserves the same level of adoration as 'Walk Across The Rooftops' although it’s very different, much subtler, much more introspective album. I don’t know if they are planning to tour this album but if they do, they need to find the right venues, ban mobile phones and insist that the audience are completely present throughout.

Give this album a listen, by that I mean a proper listen, it’s not disposable pop, it’s not throwaway reality tv show music, it is however emotional and heartfelt. If you love it then its going to be on your turntable, or equivalent, for years to come.