An adventurous foray into cinematic folk and bluegrass.
The Boy The Earth Sings To is the latest project from musician and filmmaker Joshua Britt. Previously, Britt’s songwriting and musicianship were on display with the folk-rock leaning The Farewell Drifters and the more traditional The Orphan Brigade. The self-produced “The Voice of God ” from Neilson Hubbard, Matt ‘The Banjo Player’ Menefee (Mumford & Sons), Lady Moon, as well as his children, who aid in taking Britt’s sound to new places, undoubtedly influenced by his recent endeavours into film and video creation. Indeed, the twelve tracks that comprise the album play out like a soundtrack for a film noir.
From the start, the album asserts itself as something of a new direction for Britt. The captivating ‘Burn The Daylight There’ begins with some moody electric guitar before a memorable mandolin riff, courtesy of Britt, inserts itself into the melody, and the results are wonderful. The opening lines, “Time just moves if you keep it simple / There’s no such thing as an ordinary life”, serves as a harbinger of the album’s recurring theme: meditations on the passage of time, whether looking behind with sadness, living fully in the present, and anticipating what lies ahead. The atmosphere created in this number endures throughout the album’s twelve tracks; namely, mandolin- and banjo-driven songs over a foundation of bass and drums, along with ambient electric guitar flourishes and lush, dreamy backing vocals that float in the background like ghosts.
While he plays a variety of stringed instruments, it’s Britt’s virtuosity on the mandolin, along with his clear, earnest singing, that really draws the listener in. ‘Too Late Too Soon’, featuring driving acoustic rhythms juxtaposed with some wildly erratic electric guitar solos, is one such example. ‘Eyes of Gold’ with its ethereal, layered vocals that bring to mind Fleet Foxes, continues with the ‘time’ theme with some deeply personal reflections about being present and living in the moment: “Heaven knows I have strength to guide me / I’ll take aim at the gathering fog / I want to live like a watch unwinding / Put more space between each time”.
Other tracks veer slightly to folk-pop territory, albeit still embossed with a cinematic ambience. The final two tracks veer from this formula slightly and appear as the most traditional-sounding on the album. ‘Walter and Vera’ is a bluegrass based, banjo led romp, while the album closer, ‘Every Single Moment’ is a gorgeous acoustic ballad featuring sad, soft vocals, engaging mandolin and bittersweet verses that deal with the passage of time, but this time with an edge of mournfulness about what gets left behind as time moves on: “He sat on that bus and cried / Knowing that a life flies by / Everything is sad when it doesn’t last / You lose a bit in every single moment”. It’s beautifully sung and played and makes for a stunning finish to the record.
Taken as a whole, the album is an inviting listen featuring a captivating selection of songs showcased by some stalwart singing and playing. For listeners who are not fans of meticulously constructed soundscapes and the understated busyness sometimes lurking in the background, it may come off as somewhat distracting at times. While the songs easily stand on their own merit, it would have been interesting to hear some of them in their more stripped-down formats. Songs like ‘Walter and Vera’ and ‘Every Single Moment’ provide a teaser of what those versions might have sounded like.
Britt is an obvious talent, and his ability to keep moving forward, seeking out new musical inspirations and directions, is to be commended. Listening to the album is time well spent.
