Monument

A songwriter/composer who has alternated between albums of intimate indie rock, piano-based chamber sketches (Romantic Works), experimental electronic music (Behaving), and instrumental orchestral works (Six Lethargies), Monument finds Keaton Henson back in singer/songwriter mode and with his fathers worsening health weighing heavily on his mind. (Hensons father died two days before the albums completion following a long illness.) Its a vulnerable set steeped in longing and memory, with recurring audio from home-video recordings contributing to its memoir-like feel. The album opens with tracking distortion from one such childhood clip before the audio clarifies on a song called Ambulance. After about ten seconds, gentle, broken guitar chords enter alongside what sounds like manipulated keyboard or string samples and Hensons fragile delivery of the lines, Ill wait til theres nothing left of me/Oh no, how lonely Ill be. Bass drum, tambourine, and clarified keys eventually join the arrangement, which expands to include meandering bass and atmospheric guitar. Most of the tracks consist of similarly sparse yet textured arrangements, though songs like While I Can and Husk venture into more assertive indie rock territory. The hooky While I Can declares an intent to live in the present, while the relatively tuneful Husk diverges into romantic concerns. These tracks, while still emotionally heavy, offer respite to what would otherwise be a relentlessly whispery, aching set, as do the artfully deployed natural sounds. While Monument is decidedly Hensons, guests of note include Radioheads Philip Selway on drums, composer Charlotte Harding on saxophone, and Leo Abrahams on guitar. ~ Marcy Donelson