Feathers. Alówan

Alówan debuted on these pages with the single 'Let It Flow'. A beautiful ballad with a passive aggressive power contained within it, captured in the voice of Chantal Acda and the music of Alówan and Jean Yves Tola. Now Alowan's debut album is out and 'Let It Flow' indeed was a fantastic introduction to this beautiful album.

Jean Yves Tola over 20 years ago played in 16 Horsepower, Dave Eugene Edwards' band at the time. Tola plays on that fantastic dvd that I still play regularly, contributing to the broodingly dark atmosphere Edwards pours out over the listeners.

19 Years after the band disbanded Tola now returns with an album that leans on the sound of his former band, without copying it, while proving himself to be an excellent songwriter in his own right. What comes out on Feathers, is exactly what he brought to his former band. The dressing of the cake as it were. What comes out on Feathers is brooding music without the fear of the devil running behind your tail end, about to catch it. This still makes for intense listening, but also includes rays of light coming from Chantal Acda's voice and the electric piano notes or softly strummed acoustic strings. While the violin brings that darkness, that moodiness drawing me even more into Alówan's world.

There's more. Regularly Acda's pleasant voice is matched by the tough voice Calvin Dover of Dover Brothers. The contrast is enormous but more importantly matches. Bridging the light and the dark on Feathers. The balance between the two is excellent. Jean Yves Tola has created a delicate musical world where the two sides come together. The choice to invite Chantal Acda to sing on his songs is an excellent one. It creates a warmth the album deserves. Just listen to 'Horsewind' and you will understand why.

Musically, Feathers could be put in the folk department. Do however not expect flutes, and bells and upbeat U.K. folk tunes. Alówan is far too experimental for that. The most folky song, 'Kevnidenn' is driven off the rails when darkness sets in. From that moment I'm reminded more of Nick Cave not in the least because of Dover's voice and the exploding lead guitar. Acda's sweet voice is ostracized by the dark side of the album. She faintly tries a new role in the background without truly succeeding.

I'll admit, I had all but forgotten about Jean Yves Tola. Thanks to Feathers he is firmly back in my attention span. Feathers is a good album and surprising in a few ways. Alówan presents a lot to listen to and explore. It is an album to bond with.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Feathers here:

https://glitterhouserecords.bandcamp.com/album/feathers