(2020) Stables - Silhouettes


Review:
In much the same way as we find ourselves on uncertain terrain in 2020, so does this album begin on troubled waters; “seven days without sleep, I’m a ship lost at sea” continuing onto “a roof without slate, partially built but no sanctuary”. ‘When I’m With You’, a quite lovely opening number, glides in on a raft of gently picked and played, sea shanty lushness. Pensive but gaining momentum, as the lyric finds the light and hope on this “well-trodden lane” with the words “when I’m with you, I’m not afraid”. Halfway through some kneading percussion lights up and the protagonist audibly grows in strength, staring down the bumps in the road to the extent that the next time he’s singing the refrain, it’s accompanied by jubilant whoops and hollers. As an introduction of what’s to follow, it really does give you an x-ray insight to the heart and soul of Stables as a duo, melodically rich tunes and an abundance of good vibes and go-getting lust for life. It can clearly be argued that Matthew Lowe and Daniel Trenholme are indeed walking a path familiar to many musicians in the current climate. They have been making music together as a duo since the start of 2016 and ‘Silhouettes’ is set to be their third album, following ‘Beyond Brushes’ and ‘Reverie’. Like the majority of music-making artists in 2020 however, they’ve hit some difficulties. The inner sleeve of ‘Silhouettes’ alludes to this stating it’s “tough to make a living out of the thing that you love and even tougher with the current market for music”. This album’s closing song, ‘Ringmore Rise’, was announced as a single in 2019 and intended to be the first of twelve-monthly singles but instead, it is the recording that began ‘Silhouettes’. Stables admit that the whole project nearly ended until, as described so beautifully on that opening track, together they found the strength and encouragement to carry on and make it work. Diversifying is certainly part of the plan for many musicians to follow and I have a lot of empathy with those who find a way to adapt and continue making music. Why only a few days ago I opened the door to a member of a well-known folk band working as a parcel delivery driver. These are the people who I admire and I feel that Stables are cut from that same clough, they’ve found a way to adjust and continue, with a smile on their face and a song in their heart. Part of that enterprising spirit has led to them producing their own Stables brand of roasted coffee of which they’d even been taking their own signature roasts out on the road; way to go chaps! It’s in a live context that they’ve really made an impact, Matthew stating that he “always wanted to create a simple sound that could then be taken further when needed, from a small folk club to a large festival stage”. And they have done just that too, touring the UK circuit and playing across Europe with their energetic live, instrument swapping raggle-taggle jamboree and winning many admirers along the way. Pay a quick visit to their website and definitively it is that love of playing music that brings every bit as much stimulation as the coffee they partake. There is even a quickfire platform set up to facilitate their desire to just simply play the music of other artists they love. As well as some tastefully selected folk world shout outs to be found here (John Smith and Seth Lakeman) a real love of pure pop music is also revealed through covers of A-Ha and even the Spice Girls. The constant thread though is the vibrancy and undiluted joy Matthew and Daniel exude when making music together, I am glad they found the impetus to continue with this album. The title tune enters with rhythmically slapped strumming, there’s that warm summer feeling drifting in once more not to mention a lyric that touches on the strength in unity theme, something that comes across vividly throughout the set, particularly on ‘Curtain Call’ where companionship and warmth seem to smoke out of the speakers. That same heat haze can be felt on ‘Summer (And A Sunny Side Of You)’, it’s the kind of easy on the ear yet deceptively detailed indie-folk you might hear from Vampire Weekend. The instrumentation feels loose and easy and yet the elements are all rather carefully detailed and constructed, it is a nice combination. ‘Winter (For Bringing Us Together)’, as the title indicates, feels like a fireside and a blanket around the shoulder. Gently picked strings and words that speak of hibernation and returning from a working period to closely shared shelter from the cold. It reflects the long-term nature of Stables endeavours, that even though it was a wonderful summer that inspired the continuation of this project they’ve still been in this for the long haul, not just those summer seasons. Even on a slower, aching tune like ‘Broken’, there is a strong message of resilience and healing bleeding through the guitars that seem to hang in the sky like distant church bells. ‘The Seminar’ has a David Gray-esque pop sheen, it’s infectious momentum just can’t slow down and features some eloquent electric guitar decorations that are another satisfying feature of the whole album. There’s almost an African vibe to the easy flow of the guitar patterns, which inevitably recalls Paul Simon’s cross-fertilization of the music of that nation with western folk and I believe it’s certainly no bad thing if that torch were to be picked up by current artists. This styling is especially evident on the danceable ‘Red Wine And Birthday Cake’ and later ‘The Hindsight Of Youth’ is similarly bright and breezy, this one sparkling with a ragged campfire spontaneity. My final definitive impression is that Stables made the correct decision in continuing their creative work together. It’s doesn’t take a massive leap of the imagination to hear an accessible song like ‘Marathon’ playlisted on daytime Radio 6 Music and with a break like that, there’s so much going on in Stables sound that would attract a massive audience. And the message that this album imparts holds true; if you can find strength in unity and combine it with a true love for what you do, then the possibilities are endless.





Tracklist:
01 - When I'm with You
02 - Silhouettes
03 - The Seminar
04 - Summer (And a Sunny Side of You)
05 - Curtain Call
06 - Winter (For Bringing Us Together)
07 - Hawthorne
08 - Unwind
09 - Red Wine & Birthday Cake
10 - Reconcile
11 - The Hindsight of Youth
12 - Marathon
13 - Broken
14 - Ringmore Rise


Media Report:
Genre: indie-folk
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits