The new one from James Elkington, Ever-Roving Eye, is an unassuming bit of business, but the music within its grooves makes a deep impression. I guess you'd call this folk, though the guitarist and singer is more interested in his own style than any pre-defined genre. The release dropped yesterday on Paradise of Bachelors, and it's a record well worth seeking out.
"Nowhere Time" scurries with some quiet intensity, while "Sleeping Me Awake" marries a faint bit of the blues with a hook and vocal-line that seems to make up one of the best things Elkington's released to date. Might want to dig out a Nick Drake comparison or two for this one. Elsewhere, "Rendlesham Way" is spry and complex, while the nimble "Carousel" is jaunty in a fashion, with James devoting as much time on this one to his simple vocals as to his dexterous runs on the guitar.
James Elkington manages to make this rather simple material sing with real intensity. If the intensity is not in-your-face, that's okay, as Elkington accomplishes more with a turn of phrase, both lyrical and musical, in a way that is entirely unpretentious. It's the lack of pretension here that renders this so appealing. And it's that directness that calls to mind, again, some justified comparisons to certain Nick Drake songs.
Ever-Roving Eye is out now via Paradise of Bachelors.
More details on James Elkington via the official website.
[Photo: Timothy Musho]