Minnesota-based Sellwood channels the beauty and spirit of Nick Drake.
Following hot on the heels of 2023’s debut ‘Otherwise’, comes ‘Cadence to the Flame’, the second full-length offering from Minnesota-based folk artist Nolan Sellwood. ‘Otherwise‘ was a lovely and high quality debut; with ‘Cadence…’, though, Sellwood has made a further leap forward in his songwriting. In addition, there is a warm clarity of sound on this lush and natural-sounding record, for which credit must go to the production team of John Wright and Steve Lehto, who also play on the album.
Sellwood noted that although his initial musical grounding was in jazz, the first record that really touched him was ‘Pink Moon’ by Nick Drake. Many, many artists down the years have been influenced by Drake’s ethereal, mystical music, which mixed folk with blues and jazz – as well as that indefinable x-factor. No one really comes close to him, though, which is why his star continues to rise, even as we approach 50 years since his untimely passing. Or rather, no one had come close to him until now, because ‘Cadence…’ sounds like a long-lost Nick Drake album (albeit more like the meandering, wistful beauty of ‘Five Years Left’ than the austere rawness of ‘Pink Moon’).
From the opening piano notes of ‘State of Being’ that edge into an unusual opening chord progression (which immediately suggests Drake’s own inimitable touch), the songs that follow weave tapestries of sound, words and meaning; touches of strings which may add deft colour or else swoop around the music, the plucked nylon string guitar, the muted brass, and not least Sellwood’s own voice, whispering hushed melodies to weary ears.
One beautiful song follows another; euphoric, melancholic, soaring, swooning, diving, skating, this is wonderful music that has been made with care and love by the most sympathetic musicians; Sellwood’s quiet voice is front and centre, but never overpowering, quite the reverse.
When new artists arrive with an obvious connection to music that has gone before, they generally pale slightly in comparison; but just occasionally, the new music matches the old and creates something equally powerful and moving (think Radiohead and Pink Floyd, for example).
For 50 years, it has been a source of sadness that there was so little of Nick Drake’s celestial music. Well, Sellwood has picked up Drake’s torch, and is creating music that appears to have been forged from the same creative fires – though not as copies, but as new songs for new times. Whatever Sellwoood achieves in the future (and on this evidence it will be plenty), in ‘Cadence to the Flame’ he has given a gift for the ages to lovers of great music.
