You Are Here - Adrian Crowley

When You are Here You Are Family by Galway, Ireland’s Adrian Crowley, has so many aquatic characteristics, it is absolutely mesmerizing. I grew up around the ocean. That could be the reason this record soothes, comforts, and enchants me. Listening to the way the instruments and vocals on this album blend, echo and move each other, I can’t shake that very particular feeling you have when you are lying on an inflatable raft: bobbing along with the dips and swells of the tide; utterly relaxed, introspective, willing to ride where the waves want you to go. With that said, let me emphasize that city and mountain dwellers alike need to hear this music. It haunts you. Crowley’s voice is deep, sad, and resonant. It echoes around in my head long after I have turned off the stereo. The musical arrangement is natural, organic; each song is a living breathing being with a will of its own. Plus, the contagious melodies really ring.

For those who have never heard Crowley, a comparison might be helpful, as much as I hesitate to make them. The similarities and tributes to British folk legend Nick Drake are unmistakable, from the rambling, layered guitar picking and sweet vocals, right down to the hypnotizing cello of Kate Ellis. So if masterfully sung ballads that are simultaneously melancholy and inspiring turn you on, you’re in luck. Thomas Haugh's drumming cannot go unmentioned. I love the sneak-up-on-you subtlety of the cymbals’ crescendo in “Girl from Estuary”; it reminds me of that rhythmic swell, rise and spill of ocean waves hitting the shore. And the bass drum’s pendulum thumping is eerie and ominous.

There are usually one or two songs on an album that stick with me after a few listens, highlights if you will. Occasionally I am treated to an album that has many. This record is one of them; those highlights keep changing. The opening track “Tall Ships” was my favorite for a while, with its undulating layers and erupting warmth. This song has to be played loud. Really loud. After the third or fourth time through the album, I grew attached to the melodic, intimate murmur of the vocals on “Sweet Sorrow/Only Daughter”. At this moment, I am stuck on “North Shore Song”. The steady whispering snare drum (yeah this guy can make a snare drum whisper) really drives this one. The songs really feed off each other on this record, which might be my favorite thing about it. As a collection of tracks, it is so balanced and reciprocative, with perfect symbiosis between each part, culminating into a rich, magnetic whole.

Some information:

Adrian Crowley’s web presence lives here: http://www.adriancrowley.com/ Steve Albini produced this record. For more about Steve (he’s worth paying attention to), check out his studio’s web site Electrical Audio and read his tirade on the music business, "The Problem With Music."

This record was recorded in 2001, and released in the US in 2002. Crowley has a new album, Northern Country, released in June 2004. His CDs are available online at http://www.midheaven.com/artists/crowley.adrian.html.

Comments

[j.t.m.]

You really evoke the uniquness of his sound, I need to check him out.

Thanks for the tip!