“Christmas is a curious time; this odd blend of joy and wistfulness. Here we are each December, swimming through a pool of contradictions; gratitude, regret, warmth, loneliness, love, grief. We’re surrounded by a twinkling, celebratory charm, but it doesn’t always reflect our mindset at the close of the year, right?”
Leave it to Chris Cleverley to offer his first Christmas album by eschewing the traditional sleigh bells jingling, dashing through the snow kind of pop confection that so many others have used in order to have a product to market during the holidays. “In the Shadow of John the Divine” is a totally different breed, an introspective tour de force that captures the essence of the biblical figure who was also known as John the Apostle or Saint John of Patmos, the author of the “Book of Revelation,” the final book of the New Testament and considered the final word in Christian eschatology.
Cleverley, The FATEA ‘Male Artist of The Year’ (2019 & 2022), lives in Bedford, UK, though he grew up in Birmingham and began his musical career on the vibrant scene in that city. He has been a working for nine years. The Mini-Gig was recorded in his own Liminal Space Studios in Bedfordshire, UK.
He took no shortcuts in putting together his wondrous EP. As a result, it comes off as a deeply satisfying correlation of songs that does justice to one of the most important figures of the early church by its rich range of emotions that inspires not just the opposites of joy and sadness but awe and respect as well.
“It’s a record of songs for the misfits,” Cleverley delineated. “For those who grapple with a sense of belonging. For those who can’t quite wrap their heads round it all as the festive season comes around.”
Named after the iconic Manhattan Cathedral, the EP has five songs but only if you buy the CD (recommended) rather than stream. There is a bonus track – ‘Sister Winter’ by Sufjan Stevens, one of the lo-fi musicians Cleverley has been drawn to, another being Elliot Smith. Their music serves as part of the tapestry for the cutting edge “dream-folk” that is his speciality.
Cleverley often uses elaborate alternate tunings while playing a Fylde Falstaff guitar, made by Roger Bucknall and his team at the workshop in Penrith, UK, with an LR Baggs Anthem pickup inside. It runs through his pedal board, which features the Strymon Big Sky & El Capistan, as well as a Logjam Stompbox. That’s a mouthful and a handful for those of us who play solo acoustic and try to keep our guitars tuned to standard. But for him it works beautifully.
The CD comes in a card sleeve, with a beautiful design of the Cathedral Church of St John the Divine, Manhattan, by Elly Lucas. It’s the kind of music you can put on after a hectic day with all the holiday bustle and traffic. You could sit by the fireplace, cozy, with perhaps a glass of wine or cup of tea to savor along with the music. On this Mini-Gig, Cleverley plays 3 of the 4 originals from the EP as well as one track from his 2022 release, “Broadcast the Secret Verse.” He has kindly taken the time to write a few words about each of the songs.
- ‘The Ringing of Bells’– The opening track from my new Christmas EP, this song was originally written and released 8 years ago and reworked. It’s about carving out those little glimmers of hope when the world spins madly around us. It features vocalist Kelly Oliver.
- ‘Borderlands’– The opening track from my 2022 album “Broadcast the Secret Verse” speaks of the different challenges that different generations face growing up. It refers to some of the key events around the time I was a teenager at the turn of the millennium and makes a comparison to the very different world of 2024.
- ‘Snowfall My Evergreen’ – The first single from my Christmas EP, this story of a snowman acts as an analogy for the changeable nature of our inner life, for we are changeable like the seasons; sometimes carved vibrant and solid, at other times we melt away into ourselves.
- ‘For a Winter Angel’– Derived from the melody of the traditional carol ‘The First Noel’ this is a song that goes out to anyone feeling burnt out as the festive season comes around.
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By now, I’m sure you must be asking where can I buy the CD of this amazing album so I can get the bonus track and the unique artwork. Well, here’s where you go.
