Who Would Hold You If The Sky Betrayed Us?
For The Living And The Dead, 2022
10/10
Listen to Who Would Hold You If The Sky Betrayed Us?
The 5th album from the duo of Erika and Simon Angell, as Thus Owls the Canadian residents birth a very atypical and unpredictable form of jazz meets indie-rock, and it’s unclassifiable in the best ways.
“Bleeding” starts the listen with soft, poetic singing as dreamy guitar and strategic drumming makes for a hypnotic and gorgeous opening, and “I Forgot What I Remembered” follows with a darker quality that embraces some electronic manipulation alongside a warmly textured display.
Further on, “I Miss Her Like My Country” offers playful vocal scatting amid the gentle keys and mysterious atmosphere, while “Who Would Hold You?” recruits spoken word and seemingly random brass bouts in the avant-garde jazz exploration.
Deeper yet, “Peregrine” welcomes Claire Devlin and Adam Kinner on tenor sax and vocals in the hazy and charming landscape, and “Bouncy Castle” exits the listen firmly in jazz territory, where both intimacy and adventurousness inhabit the iconoclastic finish.
A daring listen that’s improv friendly and quite artistic, contributions from Samuel Joly (drums), Jason Sharp (bass sax, modular processing) and Marc-André Landry (electric bass) only add much allure to this unconventional masterpiece.
Travels well with: Pathos Trio- When Dark Sounds Collide; Eric Nathan- Missing Words