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Ben Howard

The Burgh Island EP

Written by: TL on 01/12/2012 14:10:20

Hang on fellow Europeans, here comes an American Football analogy: Despite having only released one album, British folk singer-songwriter Ben Howard is already like Tom Brady. If you've been listening to him, you've already become so accustomed to him being so ridiculously good, that upon encounter with his new "The Burgh Island EP", you might not be as amazed as you were when you first discovered him. And that's bad because you should be.

For while the sound of the four tracks on "Burgh Island" are both denser and darker than the mostly acoustic offerings of Every Kingdom", it is still every bit as immersive and enchanting. Introducing the threatening edge of electric guitar to his soundscape, Ben Howard brings even more gloom to his misty folk-rock, with things feeling more like the anxious air before a coming thunder-shower than ever before. And at the centre of the sound there is of course Howard's characteristic, low singing, which, by the sound of it, is only getting more elegant and vivid by the song he puts out.

"Esmerelda" leads the listener into the EP's eerie sound, growing more and more threatening by the beat, while "Oats In The Water" sounds like wandering in the forest at dusk, boasting both the EP's best and most memorable vocal melodies and a surprisingly bluesy electrical solo, added with subtle yet powerful organs. Rather than reveal any remaning details, it serves to remark that the feel of "Burgh Island" is less catchy but more progressive and atmospheric, and especially folks that were fans of "Black Flies" (like me) will find a fascinating listen here. Still, "Every Kingdom" will likely be the release you come back to more often, for its greater variety and its bounty of memorable refrains, but as sort of an uncompromising little mood record for serious fans, "The Burgh Island EP" only continues to show that Ben Howard is just remarkably high class.

Download: Oats In The Water, Esmeralda
For The Fans Of: Mumford & Sons, Dry The River, The Decemberists, Of Monsters And Men
Listen: facebook.com/benhowardmusic

Release Date 31.10.2012
Island Records