The Black Feathers have drawn comparisons to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Both couples joined in union by the love of shared music and each other. Partnerships in life as well as song. The lush melodies and the economy of sound are certainly all there. But Ray Hughes And Sian Chandler have their own identity, and they present perhaps a more diverse sonic palette for this listener.
From the slow build to the countrified opener, ‘Lighthouse on Fire’, to the last strains of the lovely ‘Nos Da’, there is so much to beguile and entertain in between.
String melodies, a variety of genres, and intriguing lyrics make this a terrific piece of work.
Take ‘Lighthouse on Fire’:
There’s a lighthouse on Firefox the great South Bay
It’s been burning for hours, but it’s lighting my way
Whenever I stumble, whenever I fall,
There’s a lighthouse on fire and it’s guiding me home
Is this about learning from our past mistakes to forge a brighter future? Sins of others? Or just being there for others, even if you have your own worries? Plenty to ponder over a hooky melody.
Both singers possess great vocal powers, together and alone. Reminiscent too of the sadly now defunct Civil Wars.
‘Only the Brave’ is a fine example of the duo in complete harmony. Beautifully performed, it’s a song that required the repeat button to be pressed a few times, before moving on to fresh joys on the album.
Speaking of brave, it’s quite a bold decision to cover Portishead’s ‘Glory Box’, but they do so with aplomb, and it adds another neat sonic detour off the Americana line they have been put on.
‘Chemical Romance’ is another song of light and shade, and the complexities of relationships. Again beautifully argued with Sian’s vocals, drawing the listener in and shouting the outside world out, even if only for a little while.
‘Hurricane’ is a poppy little gem, while ‘Strangers in the Dark’, slows things down again for a tender examination of a relationship.
As an album, ‘Angel Dust and Cyanide’ never lets the mood settle for too long, and ‘Golden Hour’ again brings the tempo up with some bright crisp guitar from Will McFarlane:
And I wish complicated was as easy as they made it
Feel back then, ‘cause it was then,
I spent my summer rolling downhill in the dirt
Without a care if I got hurt, ‘cause there ain’t nothing in this world,
Like dancing in the golden hour.
The title track is either a tale of resignation or contention, depending on what mood you’re in.
‘Barcelona’ is another slow track and a farewell to less complicated times. ‘Silver Lining’ is another song that intrigues and enchants in almost equal measure.
‘Nos Da’ rounds the album in soft hushed tones, that quietly insist on your attention. Utterly charming.
I liked this album on first play, but the more I listened, the more I derived from it, in terms of its rich poetic lyrics, melodies, and those wonderful voices of Sian and Ray.
There is so much more angel dust here than any sign of cyanide.