J. Tillman – Year In The Kingdom (Music Review)
By Andrew Duncan • Dec 30th, 2009 • Category: Categories, Folk/Americana, ReviewsJ. Tillman
Year In The Kingdom
Western Vinyl
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
It’s hard to believe that this is Tillman’s sixth release. But it is, and Tillman continues to produce creative and expressive work.
Year In The Kingdom is an album that mixes Sunday morning soothe with transcendental Far East meditation. And that’s really as far as this release needs to go.
His acoustic style and comforting voice blends into breathable lyrics about searching, longing, and the essence of life. It’s as if Nick Drake was given a second chance and came back to do it again but this time was filled with a happy soul. Although not as tantric, this album takes the essence of the Bedhead Loved Macha (or visa versa) split and combines both styles together as a whole. Although not consuming the entire album (“Though I Have Wronged You, for example, veers away from what dominates this release) when he sticks to this formula, I’ve not heard notes played so elegantly.
Most importantly, Year In The Kingdom preserves the core elements of folk music the way it should be maintained: gentle, delicate and simply lovely in all that it entails. This is easy listening for the 19th Century.
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Andrew Duncan is a journalist who has migrated to the forces of academia. He has written for various publications including Chord, Heckler, Readyset...Aesthetic, and a vast array of alternative press contributions. When not roaming the streets of Indianapolis, he is either addicted to KXCI, making music, or striving to watch every film listed on IMDB.
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