Richard Youngs - Sapphie
(Jagjaguwar)
Richard Youngs - Making Paper
(Jagjaguwar)
I guess that I am a "fan" of Richard Youngs' music--as much as I am a fan of anything--especially when he is paired with Simon Wickham-Smith. Their multitude of releases are musically scattered, from beautiful minimalism (Knish) to psychedelic pop (Pulse of the Rooster) to the wonderfully damaged art-mess (LAKE).
These two solo releases on Jagjaguwar place Youngs alone, in an intimate singer-songwriter setting. Sapphie, originally released in 1998, finds Youngs crooning long, slow moans over quiet classical guitar figures. The newer Making Paper is similar, only
substituting a piano for a guitar. There are three tracks on each CD, with some of the songs stretching out over 15 minutes long.
Progress is very slow on these songs; the music never really changes, but rather serves as a very minimal sketchpad. The vocals are slow and drawn out, occasionally cracking, lyrics mostly unintelligible. There's a lot of emotion in his voice, especially on Sapphie as he croons over the loss of his dog.
Sapphie's melodies are distinct, but over the course of the CD they blend together, and it seems like one extremely long song. The intimacy is almost chilling, but the music is soft; it can work as easy or focused listening. His voice strains on "A Fullness of Light In Your Soul," barely reaching the notes, but it adds to the sense of closeness of this album. Fans of Robert Wyatt or even Will Oldham would probably like Youngs' expressive voice. The highlight of the album is definitely "The Graze of Days," which slowly builds over a quiet acoustic guitar pattern while burning its melody into your brain.
Making Paper's piano-based approach is somewhat different. On "Warriors," chords ring out slowly under the yearning vocals. It's a bit stranger than anything on Sapphie and not quite as accessible. "The World is Silence In Your Head" says exactly that
for only 3 minutes, and somewhat quickly. It's a bit of a throwaway track, but the closing "Only Haligonian" more than makes up for it. Far less of a song than anything else on these albums, "Only Haligonian" is a circular piano labryinth that is far more abstract than anything else on these albums. Over 22 minutes long, by the end of the song Youngs has left us completely confused and disoriented. The vocals act as an instrument, slowly entering the swirl as another texture. The result is a feeling not unlike "Quagmire" from Knish.
It's great to see Youngs' return to this style, as it's been nearly a decade since his solo debut Advent. Those looking for more obvious and concrete songwriting should stick with their Smog records, but those willing to fill in some of the spaces will find both of these records to be quite precious and extraordinary.
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