Collapsed In Sunbeams

On the heels of the viral success of a handful of early songs, London singer/songwriter and poet Arlo Parks makes her full-length debut with Collapsed in Sunbeams, a set that draws on episodes from adolescence. Sharing an empathic, personal approach that doesn’t shy away from matters of heart or mental health issues, some of those songs -- Eugene, Cola, and Black Dog, for instance -- are included on the 12-track album. Another characteristic that Parks works have in common is an appealing blend of adult-alternative R&B, bedroom pop, and a borderline sophisti-pop that lands her sound in the general vicinity of, say, Sade or Jamila Woods without infringing on their space. Setting her material apart further still are her poetic leanings, and she opens Collapsed in Sunbeams with a nearly minute-long reading of the same name set to arpeggiated acoustic guitar and spacy keyboard tones. The poems final line, You shouldnt be afraid to cry in front of me, sets the stage for the openhearted songs to follow, among them Too Good. That tunes jazzy, syncopated guitar and staccato bass groove uplift regrets like Whyd we make the simplest things so hard? Later, the optimistic Hope rides skittering drums and lite, improvisational piano chords alongside reassurances like Youre not alone/Why you think you are?/We all have scars/I know its hard. The jealous Eugene is a duskier entry with a similarly elegant groove that scores Parks trying to comfort a friend after a breakup (You know I like you like that). Her more poetic tendencies reveal themselves on tracks like the sultry Green Eyes, which offers Dragonfruit and peaches in the wine/Kissin circles underneath your eyes amongst lyrics about a forbidden young love, and Portra 400, a song named for a line of Kodak film that includes the phrase Making rainbows out of something painful. The albums formula is a soothing, pleasant one with sentiment to spare and, as a debut, full of promise. ~ Marcy Donelson

ロンドン南西部で育ったシンガー・ソングライターのファースト・アルバム。BBCの〈Sound Of 2020〉にノミネートされたりと、活動当初から大きな注目を集めてきたが、そうした期待を裏切らない素晴らしい作品だ。パーソナルな想いや情動が込められた歌詞は、喜び、哀しみ、憂い、あるいはまだ名前がついていない複雑な機微を鮮やかに描く。その歌詞を歌い上げるパークスの歌声も多彩で、凛々しさや弱さなどさまざまな表情を見せてくれる。多面的に楽しめるサウンドも申し分ない。スモーキーな雰囲気を醸すブレイクビーツとリズミカルなベースが光る"Hurt"、ライド・シンバルを多用したドラムスにジャズの匂いが染みついた"Hope"など、アレンジの引き出しが多い。
bounce (C)近藤真弥