Ben Howard - 'Crowhurst's Meme'
Icon and darling to the folk and singer-songwriter scene, Ben Howard has announced his return with the new album Collections from the Whiteout, following 2018’s Noonday Dream. The lead single to the album, What a Day, promises hope amidst the current global pandemic. It promises pale blue skies, dancing and pastel walks through nature. It’s a welcome shift in his sound after an undoubtedly gorgeous stream of songs in his catalogue that are considerably darker in tone. With the second song to come from the new project though, Ben once again expands upon his emotional palette.
Crowhurst’s Meme is instantly recognisable as an Aaron Dessner produced track, opening with skittish electronic percussion that bounces around the track like a ping pong ball for the rest of its duration. This contrasts beautifully against the real drums, pushing us back and forth between a psychedelic trance and a real-world situation. Which is exactly what the story of Donald Crowhurst deals with. Howard touches upon the famous tale of Crowhurst vanishing out at sea in an attempt to sail around the world on a yacht. The track tackles human philosophy and the mania Crowhurst reported in his final moments, lyrics referencing the ‘mercy’ written about in Donald’s logbook.
Without taking a deeper look, this is a song with a refreshingly cool instrumental, a catchy melodic chorus, a passionate delivery shown through the layered vocals, and high energy. But the metaphors often lie within the wavy, seasick, distorted guitars, the reverb latching onto the lyric ‘I’m a long way out’ that sounds like how it would feel to be swept away.
The production choices here are intelligent and creative, just as expected from Ben Howard given his transcendental and experimental Noonday Dream.
The two tracks, What a Day and Crowhurst’s Meme show Howard yet again pushing the envelope, collaborating with new people and asking philosophical questions through vivid storytelling and instrumentals. The new album, Collections from the Whiteout, couldn’t come sooner.
Words by Curtis Saunders