Patrick Phelan - Parlor
(Jagjaguwar)
In my review of Patrick Phelan's first album, Songs of Patrick Phelan I made a comment that the album was about as good of an album as Phelan could make considering his physical limitations and those he put on himself. This was both a putdown and a compliment, of course. It applauds him for being able to balance the aspects of his minimal music perfectly, letting both his soft voice and his soft music shine equally bright, neither out-shining the other; however, it also implies Phelan could never make a great album in this style as the album only got a good but not outstanding 9 out of 12.
Of course, I was wrong. Phelan's second album, Parlor, is no drastic change from his first. However, it surpasses Songs of in almost every way, creating a very exotic, sophisticated pop sound from the instruments that still manages to be in perfect balance with Phelan's rich but understated vocals. The key word here is "sophisticated," even more so than "balance." While Phelan's first album reminds the ear of a minimal rock band like Labradford, only played less powerfully so as to mix well with the vocals and singer/songwriter song-style, Phelan's new album is a pop record, bringing out the AM pop and Brazillian pop influences that were always probably there but often hard to identify.
Aiding in the creation of this sophisticated sound is Phelan's new permanent backing band--no longer hindered by coordinating when guest musicians can join him--and a move from the guitar to piano for his main mode of songwriting. With this change, guitar and piano are featured about equally in the final recordings, with plenty of sounds in the background--this is no singer/songwriter album like Songs of. One cannot forget Phelan's history with the band South, as these background sounds feature many great uses of ambience. Tones are always whirring and humming in the background, giving the album a warm glow, filling out the sound wonderfully. On a couple songs, like the serene "Unearned," Phelan lets the ambience be the song, much like his contributions to South.
There are several great moments in Parlor when the listener is so lulled by Phelan and his band that the slightest jump in volume is like a rush of sound, making the listener feel like an inquisitive snooping cat, able to jump several feet straight up in the air at the slightest unexpected movement. The best example of this is "Crippled For," where a piano melody and muted drumwork create a soft aura. When Phelan's voice and tones from a trumpet come in, steady in tone but not loudly, it has a very powerful effect, causing the listener to lift their weary eyelids and lose a breath in wonderment.
On Parlor, Phelan's lyrics are very cryptic. Poetically, they work quite well, fitting the music well and serving as an adequate tool through which to use his voice. However, exact meaning or imagery is hard to discern; the lyrics perhaps being too literate for their own good. This hardly distracts from the enjoyment of the album, though. The music is so much richer this time around, that the general feelings created by the words are enough to create a complete whole. Phelan has been able to retain his near perfect sense of musical balance while still adding many weights to all sides.
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