Patrick Phelan - Songs of Patrick Phelan
(Jagjaguwar)
Patrick Phelan is a singer/songwriter in the simplest sense of words,
that is that he writes songs for his voice and guitar, and he sings them.
That term, though, has a bunch of other connotations, which can be construed
to be negative. When you think of Will Oldham, Songs: Ohia, Cat Power, and
any other artist you'd put under the singer/songwriter umbrella, you
immediately think of their distinctive voice, both in singing and thoughts
conveyed. However, Phelan's main concern is sound, not voice. As such,
Phelan may be closer matched to current rock minimalists like Low or
Labradford than any of those singer/songwriters.
When I first got this record and heard it was by South's vocalist, my first
thought was, "South uses vocals!?" Not having heard South's only album
in months, I just didn't remember Phelan's voice, an even softer version
of Sam Prekop's sleepy, mellow whisper. However, Phelan's voice is
expressive despite its softness, like an emotional outpouring in the
corner of a crowded room. Combine minimalism with that non-attention grabbing
voice, and this record might just be too spartan for you, requiring much
attention in order to be enjoyed.
At first I did find myself thinking that elements of the songs needed to be
fiddled with, e.g., vocals needed to be more prominent so they could be
more easily understood, or more instruments were needed to back the guitar, or
there was some other fault or miscalculation I was perceiving.
However, with repeated listenings, my opinion has changed; there is a synergy
to the songs, a near perfect balance of the songs' elements of voice, guitar,
and backing instruments (including cornet, violin, lapsteel, and keyboards).
Twiddling with one part would alter the effect of the other parts and ruin
the stew. These elements he uses are somewhat limiting to the power of
the end result, as he must remain focused on balance instead of simply
emotion, but the music is still beautiful and moving. Phelan's knowledge of
what is at his disposal, its strengths and limitations, and how to best use
and mix it is phenomenal.
The album definitely needs your attention in order to be enjoyed,
though your attention and patience is richly rewarded. Phelan has masterfully
mixed the elements of singer/songwriters to create evocative, minimal songs
that become more powerful with each listening as the words and feelings
gradually seep from his soul to yours.
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