4/6/2023 0 Comments Iain matthews art of obscurity![]() ![]() If You Saw Thro' My Eyes, his previous album, reunited him with members of his old band, as well as others from the revolving Fairport/ Fotheringay cast, but this time out, with the exception of Richard Thompson's accordion on a couple of tunes (credited as Woolfe J. If the intimations of mortality sound ominous within tracks such as "Ash in the Wind" and "The Sweet Hereafter," those shadows are merely viable contrast to the enlightenment that otherwise arises from this artist's rarefied reflection.Tigers Will Survive, Ian Matthews' second release of 1971, and fifth in less than three years, continues the Anglo-American folk-rock that he began in 1968 with Fairport Convention.įollowing his departure from the band in early 1969, Matthews' style quickly veered from the British traditional direction that Fairport was headed, gravitating more toward the American singer/songwriter scene that was the source for much of the group's material in their early days, keeping him closer to the mid-Atlantic mix of What We Did on Our Holidays (his last record with the band). The Art of Obscurity, then, turns into close to an hour within the confines of the soul, with Iain Matthews' songs and voice the gateway and his accompaniment the varied means of exploring such contemplative atmosphere. The craftsmanship that sculpts this artful song cycle is admirable enough on its own termsthe musicians sound like they are in the room as the cd playsand even if some of the words, like those of "Music," sound somewhat stilted, Matthews' gentle delivery, as much as his vulnerable voice, renders them warmly personal. But that's less of a limitation than it might seem given how deeply these songs can penetrate in their quietly understated way. ![]() With only guitars, bass, and keyboard courtesy of David Webb (largely organ to promote the fluidity of the tunes and the ensemble), the performances resonate outward and inward.Īs such, a listener may require as much history as Iain Matthews to fully grasp and appreciate how he evokes the subtleties of the passage of time. ![]() Insular as this approach is, it does create an unusually direct intimacy further emphasized by the absence of drums (which, even on the upbeat The Emperor's New Clothes," don't seem to be missing). The singing on "Time Zone Cowboy" mirrors the images the words contain (in turn reflective of the cover art on the enclosed booklet) in such a haunting way that the vocals almost turn into another instrument in the arrangements: perhaps no higher compliment can be paid Matthews in this regard.īradley Koop helps forge a tightly-knit creative unit for The Art of Obscurity by not only playing acoustic and electric guitars throughout, but also engineering and producing the recording sessions. Egbert Derix is co- author of all but four tunes here, providing lyrics to match the fragile beauty of Matthews' melodies such as that of the doleful but optimistic opening number "Ghost Changes." Even the slightly more cheery "When I Was A Boy," radiates an evanescent quality that's a direct reflection of the author's voice. Not that this, his first album released in America for fifteen years, doesn't highlight his talents by utilizing those of others. Not the highest profile member of Fairport conventionSandy Dennis and Richard Thompson hold that designationthe singer/musician has nevertheless continued to maintain a more than respectable profile for decades, through his assembly of Matthews Southern Comfort, Plainsong and a solo career that, in introducing his wryly titled The Art of Obscurity, may now be giving way again to collaborative endeavors. Iain Matthews has come to be something of a past master of the concept in this album title. ![]()
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