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Dec 10, 2018 Web Exclusive By Stephen Axeman

On Bill Ryder-Jones’ fifth studio album, the ever morose and contemplative singer/songwriter takes on the daily indignities of living through relationships from behind a screen of doubt and detachment. Embodying the alienated perspective of Antoine Roquentin—the hermit narrator of Jean-Paul Sartre’s Nausea—Jones details the frustration of regret that accompanies the come down from a catharsis. Jones sings on the second track, “Time Will Be the Only Saviour,” of his mournful reckoning with realizing the script he had prepared fails him every time: “If tomorrow starts too soon/Or you come and I’ve gone/There won’t be much left to say/And time will be the only savior.”

Most of the songs on the album clock in at over 5 minutes, so there is ample time to process the lyrics amidst the slow churning drudge of guitars and hazy background mists. And while there are instances of dynamism within individual tracks, as a whole, the album can get a little tiresome as the same palette of sounds are deployed to address the same feelings of despondency. The dour mood of the album is affecting, but the edge is lost by the repetition of monotone regret, even if the songs themselves function as a sort of processing of these pains into an eventual enlightened understanding of the place of suffering in our lives.

On “John,” what is arguably the most powerful moment on the album, the focus shifts from the deeply introspective to reach outwards and empathize with another. It is a moving portrait of a friendship whose basis is the mutual affection and clarity with which two otherwise dejected individuals see each other. A song for the loners to remember to rejoice that they aren’t so alone. Hopefully, this signals a new trajectory for the next album. (www.billryderjones.co.uk)

Author rating: 6/10