Album Review: “Beautiful Shadows," Tom Woodward

Album Review: “Beautiful Shadows," Tom Woodward
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Hailing from the Land Down Under, “Where women glow and men thunder,” Tom Woodward is a singer-songwriter, with a sound that’s difficult to pin down. Billed as psychedelic folk or indie-pop, I’m not sure which is more accurate. The phrase ‘psychedelic folk’ is somewhat nonsensical, while indie pop encompasses almost anything.

‘Psychedelic-orchestral-informal’ might be closer. There’s no orchestration, so the phrase is probably ridiculous; it’s just that some of the tunes exude an orchestral feel. But it doesn’t really matter, in the end. For Woodward’s sound is uniquely his own, kind of sad, kind of thumping, kind of simple, but good stuff. The kind of music you listen to on a road trip, where you don’t want to think about yourself too much. You just want to roll along the black tarmac and watch the landscape pass by.

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Anyway, Tom has an album coming out at the beginning of March 2017. It’s called Beautiful Shadows. The album contains 10 tracks, including the title track, which, regrettably, I found the weakest song on the album. My favorites are “flying on the 88” and “my way or the highway.” The latter tune is simple and pure, a song about two people who never saw eye to eye, “there was always shit going down.” The lyrics are expressive and funny at the same time, and Woodward’s voice, which is genuinely distinctive yet unforced, does the tune justice.

“Flying on the 88” is one of the orchestral-feeling tunes I alluded to above. It has a deep, almost sepulchral tinge to it, like a dirge but not a dirge, if you know what I mean. Probably not. So listen to it and you’ll see what I mean. I like it very much, even though the melody is repetitive.

Another song I like is “let it fall,” which has a steady, thumping beat that provides the perfect backdrop for Woodward’s rhythmic voice.

Musicians on the album include: Tom Woodward – Guitar, Vocals, Drums, Bass, Piano. Yen Nguyen: Drums on tracks 1 & 5, bass guitar on track 1, back-up vocals, electric guitar, synth, percussion. Munro Melano: Piano on track 5. Sean Hamilton: Double bass on track 5. Chris Hancock: Drums on track 6. All other instruments played by Hubert Von Kunt. And all are accomplished and contribute to the album’s overall “feel.”

Woodward has knack for lyrics that range from bemused to outright amusing. Listen carefully to the words because they frame the music rather than the music framing the words.

Beautiful Shadows is an excellent album, one that will appeal to most listeners, with the exception of those who consider themselves hyper-civilized. Woodward’s lyrics and voice combine to provide a voice of didactic reflection, along with simple, attractive melodies.

On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, where 1 is horrible and 5 is golden, Beautiful Shadows gets 4.5 stars.

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