Fairewell - Poor, Poor Grendel

by Andy Cassidy

published: 10 / 12 / 2011

Label: Sonic Cathedral
Format: CD

Stunning debut album from Fairewell, the project of Sheffield-born electronic musician Johnny White, who has taken his inspiration for it from 'Beowulf'

Review

Fairewell is Johnny White, a Sheffield boy who has now relocated to London. He has previously released two albums under the name the Rollercoaster Project, but this is his first album under the name Fairewell. Upon seeing the title, I was excited by the prospect of this album. I remember reading 'Beowulf' at university, and, like Johnny White, I became particularly interested in Grendel, one of the three villains in the epic poem. In the poem, Grendel is described as a descendant of the Biblical character, and first murderer, Cain. Grendel is widely feared by all but Beowulf who sets out to kill Grendel after the latter’s murderous raids on Hereot, a mead hall. After a long battle, Beowulf rips Grendel’s arm off, mortally wounding him. Grendel retreats to his cave beneath a swamp (this image is portrayed on the album cover) where he dies. I suppose, in short, I assumed that this was going to be a concept album based around the age old tale of 'Beowulf', and this was not the case. That is not, however, to say that I did not enjoy the album – it is, in fact, one of the best albums that I have heard recently. Opening track 'Grendel (Apocalyptic Visions)' is a layered synth mood piece, at once mellow and menacing. This juxtaposition is indicative of John Gardner’s meta-fictional version of Grendel, whom he describes as “half nihilist, half romantic.” Its 3’30” sets the tone for the remainder of the album – lo-fi, electronic home recordings of a particularly high standard. The album comes to life with the opening flourish of 'Others of Us', a MGMT-style electronic anthem pinned down by a great rhythm section and underplayed by a complex tapestry of synth chords and loops. Third track 'Wild Meadow/I’ve Been Locked' away begins with a simple keyboard melody which, over the course of the track’s opening six minutes, is elevated from a mere piano phrase to an incredibly effective and affecting slice of expanding chill-wave worthy of Sigur Ros. Nothing, however, is predictable on this album, and, with five minutes remaining, the song changes tack, morphing into a gentler, almost pastoral ambient tone poem with reassuring keyboards, softened guitar and otherworldly wordless voices. Block synthesisers provide the background for 'Honey Street' with an unabashedly English vocal from White. This contrast between the electronica of the backing track and the honesty of White’s untreated and unaffected vocal works particularly well, and although there are a great many differences in genre, I was immediately reminded of the Streets’ 'A Grand Don’t Come for Free'. Opening with the slice of life lyric, “I had to catch the bus today to the big Tesco in town,” 'Born under a Bad Sign' is musically more urgent and lively than the remainder of the album. Yet again, there is a great contrast in 'Born under a Bad Sign', the pulsing beat belying the deep-rooted melancholy of the song’s lyric. Penultimate track 'So May You All' is another expertly crafted piece of chilled electronica. There is a dream-like quality to the track, the aural equivalent of looking through gossamer, and this is punctuated only by crude, stabbing, yet oddly effective guitar licks. Despite my initial misgivings, I found that I enjoyed this album immensely. Every aspect of the creation, production and execution interlocks perfectly to produce mini-electronic symphonies. Also, the more I listen to the album, the more I see aspects of the literary Grendel – at the heart of each song seems to be the essence of contradiction so evident in later interpretations of the character, most especially John Gardner’s depiction. That is not to say that one needs a crash course in English literature to enjoy the album – there is something on 'Poor, Poor Grende'l at every level from the superficial to the profound, the one constant throughout being excellence.

Track Listing:-

1 Grendel (Apocalyptic Visions)
2 Others of Us
3 Wild Meadow (I've Been Locked Away)
4 Honey Street
5 Grendel (Reprise)
6 Born Under a Bad Sign
7 So May We All
8 Sunday Towns