SIX-STRINGED HOMESPUN PASSION
September 2005
ADOLF - GOOD BIRD TAKES
Even before getting round to listening to any one of
Adolf�s home recordings, taking in the art (his own work) and attention
to detail that comes with the packaging is a pleasure in itself. That he
dedicates so much time to this is probably down to the fact that his
home recordings aren�t quite intended for mass distribution. Instead, he
usually only gives out a few copies to a select few who (he feels) will
appreciate the intimacy and true worth of the songs. In a sense, owning
a copy of is like sharing an intimate secret with the artist, but with
the added advantage of being allowed to share it with others!
His preference for the finger-picking method as opposed to strumming �
although he does employ both methods in his music � and a brittle vocal
delivery often gives Adolf�s music a naked, vulnerable ambience,
especially since, more often than not, he draws inspiration from very
personal issues. With this in mind, then, his most recent collection,
Good Bird Takes, is something of a revelation...
Prolific as ever, the young singer/songwriter�s latest, over a year from
his last album Flores and a few months on from compiling a mini-CD of
re-recorded older tracks plus 2 new songs, is a thirty minute album of
warm, soothing acoustic tunes. The most striking aspect of the record is
the totally different vocal style. Far smoother and subtle, it is as
much a product of home-cooked (and basic) recording experimentation as
it is of a newfound fondness for open melodies. Frankly it has
transformed his music entirely (for the better), instilling a sense of
emotion and warmth that is closer to the surface and easier for the
listener to relate to.
The change may also have been a by-product of his side-project with Alex
Vella Gera of
Hunters Palace. Their work as Treeears (including the sublime Is
This The End, featured here) bears a lot of the love for gentle
harmonies on
Hunter's Palace�s second album, and that collaboration may well have
triggered Adolf�s sense of melody into full swing. Further to this, the
fact that Adolf is not relying as much on solely personal issues for
inspiration (he also covers Dylan�s For Ramona here) gives the songs a
broader sense and appeal, which, at a time when acoustic song writing is
finally getting the respect it deserves, makes Good Bird Takes all the
more significant for both the artist and the local scene!
Recommended weblink: tbc
