Album Review: Ben Howard - 'Collections From The Whiteout'
At this point in time, it’s undeniable that UK’s Ben Howard is one of folk music’s most beloved and talented creatives in the game. Reaching astronomical success with his 2011 debut, ‘Every Kingdom’, he found a fanbase so deeply enamoured by his sweetly intricate fingerpicked acoustic tunes. This is the lane he could have stayed in for the rest of his career, but 2014 saw him drop something darker, heavier, possibly even richer. His sophomore album ‘I Forget Where We Were’ was an epic from start to end, soaring guitars, dense drum patterns and intense poetry took the wheel, and fans ate it up. With 2018’s long-awaited ‘Noonday Dream’, his sound took a drastic turn, one that welcomed psychedelic brooding, longer songs and scorching lyrical imagery. It was genius.
With the newest album, ‘Collections From The Whiteout’, Ben Howard finds himself exploring yet another corner of the folksphere, one I’m sure not many people would have thought existed. From the get-go with the opening track, Follies Fixture, we’re greeted by speedy arpeggiated synths and Ben’s classic main-melody/one-octave-lower vocal harmony. The balance between the electronic elements and the acoustic guitar which later comes in is something that becomes prevalent as the rest of the album unfolds.
‘What A Day’ is the sunny lead single, with a signature Aaron Dessner drum machine beat and Ben’s shimmery guitars laced throughout. The melodies are stunning on this track, accompanied by a set of tender lyrics that carefully show how love can sometimes grow tiresome or old, and how if you love someone enough, you’ll do your best to refresh it however best you can: “Always nearing, our hands clawing up against the light, it’s nearing. Where does all the time go?” It’s beautiful and gently honest.
Tracks like ‘Crowhurst’s Meme’, ‘Sorry Kid’, and ‘The Strange Last Flight of Richard Russell’ are particularly interesting in that Ben Howard uses tales from the news to land upon some philosophical understandings. Whether it’s about Donald Crowhurst’s mysterious death out at sea on a one-man boat trip around the world, or the crash of the plane in 2018 that lead to the death of Richard Russell who was piloting, these worldly curiosities nag at Ben more than ever before on ‘Collections’.
‘Rookery’ is our first taste of Ben Howard alone with an acoustic guitar and a gorgeous seemingly traditional-English folk vocal melody. The lyrics are pure poetry and show a difference in feeling between two people in a relationship. One standout line is: “Look at me, the definition of futility”. The person whose perspective this is sung from is someone who can kill a bird in a rookery, and just as easily end a relationship. It’s a stunning use of metaphor and imagery.
‘Sage That She Was Burning’ is a definite highlight. The crunchy, distorted and textured beat pairs interestingly with the keys, making for a beautiful tune when Ben’s voice comes in. He sings about what it’s like to be a daydreamer: “Half of life is half in dream,” and the dissociative effect that can have. When the distorted beat drops out halfway through to create spacey atmosphere, it’s not too dissimilar to Noonday Dream’s sound, which is a welcome return.
‘Metaphysical Cantations’ is a subtly catchy tune about longing for someone from the past, hoping you can change their opinion of you: “I’m working on turning me around” he sings. ‘Make Arrangements’ is a track made for life-defining road trips, a stunningly smooth bass riff gliding beneath a jovial beat that Ben’s words bounce across like a bunny over a field in the golden light of summer.
An aha-moment happens right as closer, ‘Buzzard’, plays. It’s the only other completely acoustic cut on the project, with some classic-country-folk Elizabeth Cotton style twanging guitar strings. This album is all about Ben Howard crossing the oldest sounds in folk music over with the newest sounds, colliding two worlds together. With his hearty traditional English folk melodies, Ben brings the likes of Aaron Dessner into the production to help Ben do what he has been doing so well throughout his career- taking the wheel and reinventing it. ‘Collections From The Whiteout’ proves that Ben Howard remains at the top of his game with what just might become a modern day classic.
Words by Curtis Saunders