Bedouine - Bird Songs of a Killjoy

Bedouine
Bird Songs of a Killjoy
2019
Spotify

Bedouine's music is a total throwback. You can almost feel yourself transported to the folk of the sixties, where you could say almost anything as long as it felt folksy enough. In this genre standouts abound, but there were also a slew of imitators who latched on and barely moved the needle. This new album from Bedouine follows in the footsteps of that folk tradition but strikes on a path all it's own. The album feels the most successful when She blends the simplicity of an acoustic guitar and vocal, but then combines it with sweeping airy production. "When You're Gone" is one of those truly special songs that feels like it belongs to all time more than just today. She has this truly amazing way of taking a simple line of music and without forcing anything sets it to flight. This album was never going to hit you over the head or make the boldest of statements, but in being gentle and soft it makes the album so much more dynamic and unique. It's so easy to be disenfranchised and angry in 2019 that actually opening yourself up is the truly rebellious thing to do. Our world have become so callous as a guard against "haters" or "trolls" that it's made artists reach for the easy affirmation rather than the difficult path of creating something truly unique. Bedouine does just that.

There is such an ease to this record as it just flows from Bedouine note by note, line by line and track by track. She sucks you into this incredibly stunning world but then allows you to feel free and whole once there. The music pulls from so many areas yet it feels so cinematic like the perfect soundtrack to a sunny Sunday afternoon. That is not to say the subject matter is light, because it definitely is not. There are heavy topics and important ideas being expressed all over this album, but it's the soulful heart of the thing that seems to be the most compelling. This is the kind of album to put on, sit back and watch the breeze blow by, something I'm actively doing while I write this. A really wonderful little record that can connect young and old alike. People are already sleeping on this record so don't let that be you and get into this thing.

8.7 out of 10