Homesongs - Adem

Homesongs

Adem
Domino Records.


SCQ Rating: 78%

Being as objective as I possibly can, I find it mind-blowing that Adem hasn’t caused greater waves with Homesongs than the critics who heaped praise on it back in 2004. The one conclusive decision I can arrive at is that he’s in the business 30 years too late. Imagine Adem on Warner Records back in the early 70s when producers nurtured talent from the likes of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Rod Stewart. It was open-season for anything different: the dead fluorescence of the 60s ushered in deeper shades of folk, and voices that would’ve never warranted record deals in the past (Young, Stewart) were now potent songwriters. Now consider Adem, a multi-instrumentalist whose voice has immediate character and writes dusty folk songs that are catchy and personal all at once. So what’s my point? That you should’ve heard of Adem by now, but since we’re well into the 21st century and everyone is off in their own headphones, listen to Adem now.

Once you have, it’s difficult to think of this ten song suite being called anything but Homesongs. The simple tick-tocking that accompanies sullen guitar lines on opener ‘Statued’ could be a grandfather clock, ‘Everything You Need’ is carried by soft woodwinds and childhood bells tinker throughout Adem’s ode to the comforts of where you lie your head. Most devastating is the use of space, which isolates the harpsichord on ‘Pillow’ to create an intimacy one can’t ignore. The strongest songs here all benefit from their honest and stark instrumentation; sometimes lonely but never down-trodden.

In fact, such instances of familiarity are contrasted nicely by a few bolder pieces that flex Adem’s songwriting range. What better song to illustrate Adem’s extroverted side than ‘These Are Your Friends’, an unassuming acoustic song that amasses woodwinds and voices to flesh out a stunning chorus that raises in intensity, repeating “Everybody needs some help sometimes.” It’s a stirring centerpiece to an album seemingly intended to soothe.

It’s unusual to find a collection as heart-warming as Homesongs that contains no fluff or twee-cuteness whatsoever. This is a folk record that will never sound dated, musically or emotionally, and hopefully the first of many from the artist formerly known as bassist for Fridge.