Willis Earl Beal – Noctunes

To describe Willis Earl Beal’s latest record is to do so in a fervent whisper, an awed hush – no sudden movements please, as this would threaten to unsettle the hauntingly delicate, ambient foundations of Noctunes.

Improbably simple, Noctunes exhibits power in its most muted moments. Resolutely downtempo, the 12 tracks spin a soft web of ominous strings, spartan keys,and solemn synths. An exercise in eclectic minimalism, Like A Box draws in dark techno beats, whilst Survive melds oriental lilts with mild electronic drums, releasing Beal from his previous pigeonhole as a lo-fi bluesman.

Beal’s troubled past, a backstory of peripatetic wandering and ill health, has been oft recounted by the media. Here, the singer-songwriter’s voice rarely announces itself above the register of golden-hued hymn, but though Noctunes trades in simple lyricism, there’s intense emotional gravitas in every carefully weighted note. Fluid and unassumingly, Noctunes slips through the clutches of catergorsiation and stands alone as a uniquely beautiful, confrontingly original release. [Claire Francis]