The Albany, New York based collective Daybloom have been together on and off for more than a decade. After a few stops and starts, and several years of putting it together, their self-titled debut album has finally come to fruition. Those years it has spent in development have clearly not hampered its quality or consistency though. Much like Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and First Aid Kit, the band beautifully combine the darker elements of folk, americana and alt-rock with a particularly outward looking mentality. There is a surprising amount of cohesion for an album recorded over three years, and it allows the record to become instantly recognisable and totally absorbing.
Interestingly some members of Daybloom have experience not just in other comparable folk acts, but also in the heavy music sphere playing the type of melodic death metal which, on the surface, bares little similarity to Daybloom's sound. However, when looking at some of the more progressive bands of this genre such as Katatonia, Opeth and Anathema, you can hear the influence of the darker melodies which these bands employ. The guitar playing, despite it's acoustic nature, has a distinct robustness in it's riffs, and the soft/loud dynamics and compelling tempo changes the band utilise are clearly influenced by these bands among others.
The album begins with The Featherheart, which combines rolling guitar riffs with a very organic sounding percussion that reminds me of the early works of Kaki King. The fiddles also give a radiant width to the track, and the vocals are almost operatic in their scope and tone. However, they also have a natural emotion that makes them remarkably engaging considering the slightly eclectic metaphorical lyrics, and it develops into one of the strongest features throughout the album. Blood Lust follows in a similar vein but with an increased intensity and some fabulous tempo changes that give the track a stunning energy. The metal influence is very clear, and it's not hard to imagine this track being transliterated on to duelling guitars, massive drums and roaring vocals.
Till The Sky opens with some classic folk fiddles and fingerpicking guitars reminding me somewhat of John Renbourn. The chorus though moves into the darker, emotive tone that is now becoming familiar and it completely changes the feeling of the track from one of pleasant reminiscence to one of deep evocation. Brink also uses the combination of dark guitars and country fiddles brilliantly to portray the emotional entrapment described in the lyrics, and there is a cinematic breadth that brings to mind Silverchair's orchestral wonder Emotion Sickness. The middle section steps the whole thing up a gear with some vivid Bert Jansch-esque acoustic playing and a cracking electric solo, before the track eventually saunters back into it's addictive melancholic atmosphere.
Resigned is a less energetic effort that really lets the vocals breathe and explore their combination of emotive scope and sombre restraint. The use of deeper backing vocals gives another texture to the sound, and combined with the steady beat and progressively substantial guitars produces a haunting, sorrowful aura. To Find Me takes things into a new direction with an up-tempo European folk style that sees an accordion introduced for the first time. Along with the gypsy jazz chord progressions, rich vocals and fervent rhythm section, it brings a new spirit to the album. Black On Black takes things back to some americana with it's swinging melodies, both vocal and instrumental. As the vocals get gritty, the layers of percussion build into something feverish, swirling in all directions and giving a subtle acuity to the track. End Of The World has a melody and gothic flavour that, despite it's acoustic stylings, reminds me of HIM's most affecting tracks, particularly those from their album Venus Doom.
Lakeshore Grey begins with a more traditional folk tune that floats through the echoing, dreamy timbre. Once again a dynamic shift takes place and the choruses bring a quickening tempo and tenacious sound that matches the self-affirmation theme of the lyrics. Wake has a similar pattern, with the verses revolving around a traditional folk sound, albeit with an eccentric British style. The final track The Proof is relatively unassuming for it's first leg, before the guitars suddenly pick up and take over. There is a dazzling wall of sound that leads into a catchy, rhythmic riff before it eventually cools into the sombre closing notes of the album.
My one slight critique is that sonically the album does become familiar quite quickly; by the third or fourth track you've come to expect much of the sounds that appear, and only on tracks like Black On Black and To Find Me is there much element of surprise. That is far from the worst thing in the world though, and on an album like this I would much rather have a familiar sound which you can truly immerse yourself in than a completely eclectic off-the-wall mesh of styles.
There is something particularly endearing about the dark, droning timbres, stirring vocals and profound lyrics that give this album an unwavering sense of humanity at it's core. It's not unheard of for musicians to branch between metal and folk music (and I'm not talking about folk metal itself); think of Myrkur, Ulver and even Xasthur whose extreme black metal and folk output couldn't be sonically further apart. That tonality gives Daybloom a unique vibrancy which is heavily elevating and spectacularly memorable. It shouldn't be the defining factor of Daybloom though as this record is, primarily, a beautiful and affecting collection of songs that showcases a wonderfully enveloping style of folk music. The time and effort it's taken for Daybloom to produce this album has unquestionably been worth it, and what they have constructed is a gorgeous, distinguished and truly striking record.
Read more about Daybloom and their history here
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