LEYLAND KIRBY - SADLY, THE FUTURE IS LONGER WHAT IT WAS (Haftw)

I must admit that I’ve sat down to write this review a number of times, and have been stumped on each occasion. But there’s something about this veritable Opus that needs your attention. It belongs in that small category of flawed jewels, albums that are grandiose in their aesthetic, yet somehow don’t manage to climb into the box of the “perfect album”, which when we think about it, is even more flawed an idea.

Clocking in at just 3 hours, this 3 CD set is akin to delving into an epic book that you can’t remember what chapter you had last read, but somehow manages to suck you into its narrative without any problems. It would be foolish for me to describe each song; the most enthralling aspect of the album are the many melodies and textures that occupy it, and the sheer size means that you can’t digest them like “normal” bite size chunks of composition. It is a compelling statement - Kirby, rather than perhaps looking to spread his work over a staggered number of releases has instead opted to provide you with everything - and given the melancholic nature of his subject, it’s the musical equivalent of being involved in an argument that you can’t decide whether you want to win or just walk away from. Put simply, it requires your attention through its sheer size.

This album sits in the corner of your collection, brooding with intensity. Like his other material as the “Caretaker”, Kirby concentrates on simple melodies, often piano or organ-based, that are treated with background noise and other effects. It’s elementary, and a key aspect of what makes his material all the more beguiling. What counts though is that the melodic structures are good enough to keep you coming back for more. When one has 3 hours of this material to literally wade through however, it does make one’s listening experience dissolve into a sedentary haze. Some of these songs are 20 minutes long, and yet it’s difficult to dissociate them from much shorter length tracks, such is the resonance that keeps you listening.

Throughout the album is a pronounced feeling of the sense of loss, whether it be the scent of nostalgia or atmospheres that tug at the heart strings. The fluttering whistle that is at the heart of “I’ve hummed this tune to all the girls I’ve known” is perhaps indicative of Kirby’s aesthetic at its best - a flowing, nostalgic melody that never strays too far from its original intent, but flows enough on its own term to give it life beyond the central coda. The resonance of piano, recorded with a particular intensity by him, seems to permeate proceedings throughout the range of epics on offer, slowly pacing through the spectral delights of “When did our dreams and futures drift so far apart” in particular. These are mere details though, and to describe them in further detail is to deny you the listener an insight into a sonic world that few have inhabited before. If Kirby’s world could be described, then it is a dusty, cob-webbed tiptoe around a house where light only penetrates via dusty, tranluscent curtains. Old flickering memories of encounters past lurk around each corner. This isn’t an album for the light-hearted, but there’s enough emotional sustenance here to feed even the most insatiable. “Sadly…” is one of the grandest albums I’ve ever listened to, and his sheer spirit here is what makes it so compelling.

Toby Frith