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While Lea Thomas’ latest album, Cosmos Forever, is a folk-oriented offering, some textures and tones seem more familiar to the music of David Sylvain and Robert Fripp. The added colours take the listener to unexpected places, incorporating the gently plucked guitar phrases that appear in many songs. The lyrics weave in and out, yet, as with the music, the vocals have a captivating power.
The single guitar opening of A Thousand Leaves initially seems as soft as Thomas’s voice. While maintaining its gentility, the song takes on a far more powerful attitude as she sings, “Here is a thousand leaves holding on/ Nobody knows when tomorrow will come/ Here is a robin fat with worms/ Nobody knows how tomorrow will turn.” Her sensitivity belies the less calm elements of the music, but instead of being in opposition, she creates something more muscular and intriguing.
Sometimes, the gift isn’t in what’s said but what’s left unsaid. Thomas finds greater truths with a minimum of words, as demonstrated on the simply strummed album opener, The Gift, where she sings, “Let’s go for a walk/ Don’t talk/ Try to be a deeper listener/ Try a little less.” This wisdom is reflected in the music; sonically, even when serenity seems to disintegrate, it retains an essential quietness deep at its heart.
Maintaining a point/counterpoint of softly simple and loudly complex sonic detail entails using an uncomplicated vision combined with controlled chaos, then mixing it all with just the correct dose of restraint. Keeping all those balls in the air requires a band of fearless compatriots. Besides handling the acoustic and classical guitars, Thomas also doubles on synthesizers. Nico Osborne handles contrabass, and, alongside Jeremy Mendicino, electric and acoustic guitar, Brendan Mulvihill is on electric bass and synths and an additional 12 string and acoustic guitar, while John Thayer fills the drum chair. All four band members add analog processing, while Thayer gets credit for “noise.”
The serene landscape of Bauhinia erupts with a single slash of electric guitar, reawakening the primal power of music to merge forces that seem to be at odds. Magic and majesty merge in unfurled inspiration as the music delicately spins out, forged in phrases and gently wild sounds.
Instead of merely dipping a toe into the stream of abstract sounds, Lea Thomas and her cohorts jump in with both feet, finding the sounds that set off laid-back yet lustrous fireworks. Cosmos Forever follows an expansive and timeless pathway influenced by the natural world. The music’s malleability and less rigid structure allow them to explore and incorporate broader influences while still holding on to the essence of what great music is all about.
Cosmos Forever (20th September 2024) Triple Dolphin Records
Pre-Order via Bandcamp: https://leathomas.bandcamp.com/album/cosmos-forever
