Album Review: David C Clements - 'The Garden'
Photo credit: Chris McKay
Stunning alternative folk album ‘The Garden’ is Irish singer songwriter David C Clements’ brand new release and it’s stunning all the way throughout.
‘Already Here’ is the guitar-driven theatrical alternative pop opener of David C Clements brand new album. Eleven songs make up the new album of the talented and charming singer songwriter, all songs drenched in hazy elements of pop and folk, David knows how to wrap his listeners around his little finger. The tracks on his first full-length album all have one thing in common; melancholy. Soaring vocals lead us through ‘Reckless’, ‘To Be Low’ and his collaboration with Iain Archer of Snow Patrol, ‘Little Outsider’. With ‘Little Outsider’ he adds an anthemic alternative pop song to his latest collection of songs, catchy, soothing and angelic, the song and its soundscape are clearly the product of a collaboration with a Snow Patrol.
‘Summer Sedative’ and ‘Life in a Bad Dream’ hint at a more commercial and softly thumping influence that bring a colourful yet done-before sound to ‘The Garden’. That last one slowly transforms into a soaring and emotive journey that makes the song one of my favourites on the album. On this song in particular, this artist shows how to surprise and engage, creating a journey, a rollercoaster even I want to jump on again and again. We return to a strumming guitar sound on ‘Contrast’, while ‘Dreamcatcher’ brings a dark and sombre, contrasting sound to this cumulation of life’s inspirations. Subtly shimmering, the song is another example of David’s manifold musical palette. Another favourite, perhaps?
Clements writes about empathy and escape, the mundane and the unmeasurable. "Been wandering round for years looking for the garden, where I found you in tears, it was always meant to happen, you’ve taken all the blame for years, locked out of the garden” is the enchanting lyricism that makes me a fan of David C Clements and his musical poetry. We hear him at his most ecstatic on ‘Orlock’, before we dive into the closing chapter of ‘The Garden’. ‘Ghost of a Loved One’ is stunning, shining a bright light on his voice, the personable subjects he writes and sings about. The song gives me goosebumps, makes me smile while my eyes slowly fill with tears, “there’s a ghost of a loved one visiting my dreams” are words I’d been looking for, and David found them for me.
In spending the best part of a decade on writing and recording this album, Clements accidentally rewrote some of the key moments in his life and assembled sentences that support his listeners while fighting their own demons, working through their own life experiences. We hear exciting co-writes and collaborations that bring out the colour in his eyes and voice, and we hear heart wrenching emotions from the beginning until the very last tones. 'The Garden' will be released on the 20th of September on Third Bar Records and will be available on vinyl and digital formats. David C Clements will be celebrating ‘The Garden’ live on the 20th of December at Belfast’s Ulster Hall.
Words by Laura Rosierse
