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Sep 19, 2018 Richard Reed Parry By Stephen Mayne

Attempting to guess where Richard Reed Parry might go with a solo album is a nigh on impossible task. He can play just about anything, as his work with Arcade Fire demonstrates, and he’s worked with many artists over his career. Had Parry knocked out an acid jazz punk rock chamber album no one would have batted an eyelid.

That mashup monstrosity will have to wait for another day. For now, he’s going pastoral folk with hints of Tangerine Dream on Quiet River of Dust Vol. 1, the first of two interconnected records. This isn’t a total surprise as Parry has been playing around with his folk side-project for the past six years.

Embracing laid back folk traditions, it’s a record in no hurry. Seven tracks long, only two of which last less than six minutes, it’s music crying out for careful attention. Songs ebb and flow, and then ebb some more, teasing beauty from Parry’s quietly rich, complex compositions.

Birds chirps, doors close in the background, guitars are handled delicately, and vocals drift out. Lying underneath, Parry adds gently glitching synths, neon city meets sunrise in the cornfield.

It makes for ravishing music. “Gentle Pulsing Dust” builds and builds into a sound dizzy with intimacy. “On the Ground” echoes vocals back hauntingly. Each track pulls off similar tricks, each comes packed with flourishes and swerves, begging for repeat listens.

Nothing is as good as “Song of Wood.” After a deliberately stuttering start, a soft trilling combines with lush vocals, growing into a final minute that is utterly gorgeous, as beautiful as anything released this year.

The most spectacular thing here is that “Song of Wood” isn’t an outlier. It’s merely the shiniest treasure on an album full of them. Vol. 2 has a lot to live up to. (www.richardreedparry.com)

Author rating: 8/10