(2017) dbh - Mass



Review: 
Like an afternoon spent alone, Mass manages to cover a lot of emotional ground while staying rooted in one place. In a manner that feels uncannily like a daydream, each piece slyly evades standard structures in favor of gently unfolding motifs that subtly shift and refract before finding indirect paths back home, allowing each track to travel a great distance in a short amount of time. As such, even jauntier pieces, such as the two standout solo guitar tracks that open the album, “Out and About” and “Funny,” feel both welcoming and strange, like a well-known place charged with the unfamiliar by a change in the light. 
While the themes and motifs on Mass may wander, they never get lost. Manchester-based multi-instrumentalist Dan Bridgwood-Hill (aka dbh) is a thoughtful composer, and his melodies never disappear among the crooked structures and the dreamy, reflective mood they create. The clarity of tone Bridgwood-Hill gets from his nylon string guitar gives weight and resonance to every note, ensuring that tracks like “Guitar Limb” feel both expansive and lean. When, on “Light Pools” and “Blues II” he trades his nylon strings for electric, the reverb-heavy soundscapes never mask or impede the melody, as often happens in the hands of lesser players. The combination of contemplative atmospheres and memorable, emotionally ambiguous melodies, skillfully played, makes “Mass” an affecting listen. 
While Bert Jansch and Nick Drake haunt this record, Bridgwood-Hill wears both his influences and instrumental versatility lightly, preventing Mass from becoming a pastiche. Nothing about the bowed strings, clattering percussion or electronic soundscapes that accompany the guitar is willfully eccentric or affected. There’s a clear personal vision and consistent voice throughout, expressed beautifully by the record’s final four tracks. 

Tracklist: 
01 - Out and About.flac 
02 - Funny.flac 
03 - Light Pools.flac 
04 - Med Sun.flac 
05 - Guitar Limb.flac 
06 - Ghost of Eyeless.flac 
07 - Faith.flac 
08 - Blues II.flac 
09 - Hike.flac 
10 - Mass Appeal.flac 

Summary: 
Country: USA 
Genre: acoustic, alternative folk