Julie
Byrne’s
Not Even Happiness is a beautiful
record. There’s lots of this brand of simple,
singer/song-writer ‘modern folk’ out there right now, but this is way ahead of
the pack. It’s an album that’s largely just comprised of
voice and acoustic guitar, with sparse but important backing from other instruments
here and there to add depth. When things
are this stripped down, the quality of the melodies and the quality of the
performer’s voice are vital: both are utterly exceptional here. The haunting opening of aptly-named ‘Follow
My Voice’ showcases just how strong Byrne’s
voice is, but also her talent for unexpected yet less-is-more guitar playing. Tracks like ‘Sleepwalker’ and ‘Melting Grid’ (the
latter benefiting from a perfect underpinning wind instrument melody) are more
traditional folk songs, perhaps, but are no less good. ‘Morning Dove’
showcases a melancholic side to the record, ‘Sea As It Glides’ is soft and shy,
and ‘All That Glimmered Beneath’ is uplifting and hopeful. I already loved this album before seeing Byrne play in a tiny pub in Bristol in
the summer, but that performance – which made it very clear that she really is this good – definitely raised it
still further in my estimation. Seeing the
quality of her guitar playing up close had me picking up my acoustic guitar with
both a newfound enthusiasm and a sense of futility. Not
Even Happiness was an indie release that had little promotion or presence initially.
Word of mouth ultimately has led to it widely being considered one of the albums
of 2017. Agreed.
sample track: Morning Dove