Lunar adventures sparkling with acoustic folk and harmonies.
Bombadil (no relation to The Bombadils) have been making music for two decades. Several band members have come and gone, but the core has remained constant. These are Daniel Michalak and James Phillips, who live in France and North Carolina, respectively. Their music blends folk, pop and americana. For their ninth album, they are joined by Madison Rivis, a dancer and choreographer, very much part of their live performances, who also writes. What comes across very clearly is that this is an album as a piece of art. For maximum enjoyment, this is to be listened to from beginning to end without interruption as the dazzling harmonies and acoustic instrumentation stretch the listener’s senses far beyond their usual, limited orbit to gaze beyond. To the moon.
Produced by David Wax, who also plays on the album, the songs are recorded directly to tape, adding to the natural feel of Bombadil’s music. While not described explicitly as a concept album, these thirteen songs are bound by the perhaps unlikely combination of friendship and the moon. Phillips wrote a fable in 12 parts about the moon having fallen from the sky and being returned to its celestial position by a group of friends. The fable’s 12 moments are the songs and the album.
Setting the scene is opener ‘Chimborazo’, titled after the mountain in Ecuador whose peak is further from the Earth’s centre (due to the Equatorial bulge, so further than the top of Everest!). With its lowest gravity on Earth, according to Bombadil, that would make it the best place in the world to relaunch the moon. The melody is exuberant, and vocals positive, marvelling the beauty of this rugged peak and the joy of friendship.
Two songs are inspired by a Cynthia. ‘Cynthia, The Sun Never Sets on You’ is dedicated to James’s grandmother-in-law, who recently passed away at 99, “Cynthia Selene or Diana/ The sun never sets on you/ At least that’s what I remember/ Great grandson with his raincoat on”. She shares her name with the goddess of the moon, as in ‘Cynthia, Across The Heavens’. These two songs demonstrate Bombadil’s dexterity in moving from the familiar and specific, a much-loved member of the family, to mythology. Both “drive your chariot across the heavens”.
If through fables of an imaginary fallen moon, ‘Sisyphus’ seems to have relevance to today’s world. Soft vocals, gentle acoustic picking, woodwinds and light harmonies wonder, ’If Sisyphus can’t succeed/ Then how in the world can we?”
Artists pursuing such a fantastical concept could take themselves a bit too seriously, but Bombadil have the knack of balancing highly talented musicianship, vivid imagination, with a lightness of touch. Some of their written work underlines their deep humility. They accept most people like only 1% of music they hear, so the chances of that single percentage being Bombadil is slight. But ultimately, this is their art, and if they cannot explain why they do it, there is no doubting they do it with love and sincerity. As they say of their work, “the music is not for the light of heart, but for those with a light heart”. If you do not fall into that category, you will after listening to this captivating record.
