The Blue Nile's frontman finds simple and peaceful solace with piano-driven melancholia.....
7/10In true time-honoured tradition, Paul Buchanan hasn't exactly rushed to unleash his latest set of songs plus, for this outing, he's gone totally solo, leaving behind The Blue Nile in all but memory. So, some 8 years after the band's Top 10 album "High", comes the quiet Scotsman's debut lone pitch.
"Mid-Air" is a 14-track album of short stories, of vignettes and gentle reflections, propelled gracefully by Buchanan's saddened, world-weary voice and the merest tinkle on the ivories. Nothing will frighten the pets, very little will stun or surprise but most of it will pass muster with fans of this most reflective of songwriters. Casual listeners may fidget on seats, however.
Opening the album is the title-track and is, perhaps, one of the strongest offerings. Like many of the fragile vignettes contained within, "Mid-Air" could double up as a closing track, or a mid-point, primarily because the set as a whole is very similar throughout. Pop it on, leave the room, come back and continue listening - no need to check which song is playing, they all meld into one. That's a compliment by the way, because with music this brittle, you don't want riffing guitars or tinny drums spoiling the atmosphere, you just want soft, mellow sadness by the tissue-load, a prescription for solemnity and sensitive souls.
Apart from the opening title-track, other highlights include "Wedding Party", a tale of unrequited love directed at the bride (he could be the spurned lover, he could be her father) and the biographical "Two Children". The remainder of the album is short enough not to outstay its welcome, rarely strays from the pools of echoey piano and acts as a functional round-up of Buchanan's canon of unreleased short songs (some barely reach two minutes in length). However, it's a shame he didn't pick any of the tunes previously performed at his solo shows from a few years back - there were some real stunners there - but hats off to him for sharing what sounds like an intimate peek into the psyche of a truly unique singer.
For further information and tickets, head to Allgigs