Ben Howard
I Forget Where We Were

The dust on the shelf illuminated by a timid ray of sunlight floats in the cold evening air. It's November now, the world around us is preparing to die, in a slow and inexorable hibernation.

In the autumn-colored room echoes the warm and soft voice of Ben Howard, a new talent from across the channel. A young man who, only on his second studio album, demonstrates growing maturity and skill. Last year, he released an EP with dense and murky sounds that surprised (the superb track "Oats In The Water" was also used in an episode of the TV series The Walking Dead). The same sounds are the soul of his new work "I Forget Where We Were".

Tracks immersed in a darkness from which, however, one can always glimpse a light. Melancholic tracks that wrap the listener like a heavy woolen blanket. "Small Things" placed at the start, is disorienting. It immediately moves you, the vibrant electric guitar and distant drums make this song one of the best of the entire album. Melancholy, darkness, sadness. But there's hope down there at the end, there's light in the almost post-rock tail of the song.

If in "Rivers In Your Mouth" and in the title-track are touched livelier and more sparkling sounds, more "radio-friendly" doesn't mean that Ben Howard wants to settle for simple music to climb the UK charts. On the contrary, it's precisely with these more "pop" sounding tracks that one feels the difference between his music and that of a thousand other artists. The result is songs that are never trivial, with a refined and deep soul. The soul that Ben Howard has put into all ten tracks of this new album.

There is also room for classic folk: the round sound of the acoustic guitar, the fingers sliding on the strings. "In Dreams" smells of chestnuts and releases the warmth of the fire in the fireplace. The softness of "Evergreen" penetrates beneath the skin and creates the right atmosphere for a cold and starry night, with the warmth of your partner beside you, bringing peace with the world.

The longer tracks are wonderful strokes of warm colors. Red, orange, and yellow. The seven minutes of "Time Is Dancing" have the ability to lift our spirits, to make us feel less alone. In this grand piece, the call to The National is strong, but it never crosses into blatant imitation. Ben Howard goes beyond, infusing with his peculiar voice and his personal style what is just a citation of his idols, the artists he listens to daily. "End Of The Affair" is a spectacular track of almost eight minutes in which Ben gives his soul and body. His hands caressing the six strings. His vibrant voice flowing straight to the heart. And that chilling second part, where a delicate post-rock carpet rises to touch high emotional peaks, reminds us of Daughter, one of the most welcome musical surprises of last year.

The name of Ben Howard may have been hastily included in the long list of songwriters and bands "who all do the same thing", but with this new work he surprises and definitively breaks out of the shell. He stands apart from the crowd, creating a record of rare depth and complexity. Folk and pop, but also many other small flashes of immense inspiration that take this album to an unexpected level.

Even this autumn will have its perfect soundtrack, and we will have a warm blanket in which to warm our hearts.