A searing display of grief through ten bare songs.
How we all cope with grief is complex and individual, though the ability of energising one’s sadness through music is a powerful and positive one. Belfast’s Joshua Burnside has been gaining a solid and highly respected reputation for beautiful, acoustic sound experiments, cleverly mixing folk/americana sounds with more challenging music.
Through two albums previously and an array of EP’s he’s built a loyal fanbase. For his latest album, he’s gone back to his core musical roots with a collection of acoustic songs dealing with the grief he encountered following the death of his best friend.
Joshua explains, “I wrote and recorded this album after the death of my best friend Dean Jendoubi. He was an incredible person, and I miss him every day. He drifted unawares into the deepest sleep and died of a drug overdose on August 17th last year. Grief has always been a big part of my music; it’s the reason I started writing songs when I was 13. And so, as I did all those years ago, I reach for the guitar, try a few chords and sing a few words and, for a brief moment, I feel like it’s going to be okay.”
This was never going to be an easy task or listen, but Burnside has managed to convey a wide range of heartfelt emotions within these songs and they gradually caress and affect the listener in unexpected ways and hope and humour is never too far away.
Opener You and Me begins very quietly with just Burnsides gentle vocals and a single acoustic guitar and the positive message of ‘we’re gonna get through this together’ allows us to feel an element of hope from the get go. Subtle fiddle play is added to the texture of the song and it’s incredibly effective and moving.
With You allows Burnside to share memories of this special friendship that developed mainly through the productive prism of music. A lively solid drumbeat and some wonderful female back up vocals help the song shine. Burnside’s songwriting has always been solid, but these songs show an extra depth to his songwriting craft in spades.
The title song is another lovely mix of laid back acoustic work, with a slightly more edgy sound in the mix, effectively conveying the underlying message of ‘it’s not going to be an easy ride’. The Last Armchair starts where it means to go on, ‘Oh, the last armchair you ever sat on/Before you overdosed/Is the one I sit in every morning/To eat my egg and toast’, before an almost jaunty full band sound emerges with the addition of some lovely female backing vocals.
Something Else deals with the unknown effects of grief and Burnside cleverly uses The X Files as creative centrepiece for his musings. Simple acoustic strumming and lovely fiddle work make this a winner.
Lead single Moon High looks at how sometimes a mood of unhelpful denial can come into the complex grief process and the lyrics of this song become increasingly angry and disbelieving. Once again a simple mix of acoustic work and fiddle playing are an incredibly effective base for this song.
On paper this could be a difficult listen but Burnside’s exemplary songwriting and musical boldness means this is a moving yet hopeful collection, which only enhances his reputation of being one of our most respected artists. An intimate and warm album deserving of your attention.
Related