That Justin Vernon tends to be thought of as the sole luminary of Bon Iver is perhaps unsurprising. After all, it was the big, bearded maestro himself who actually wrote the neo-classic “For Emma…” album, in the process launching his sparse, snowy, folk sounds upon the world to widespread adoration. Nonetheless, anyone who has seen Mr Vernon play live will confirm that equal parts of the band’s majestic live sound are created by his talented sidekicks, Sean Carey and Michael Noyce. Carey has now emerged with his own solo project, giving the classically trained percussionist an opportunity to garner a wider audience for his rather more experimental take on the sort of harmonious and naturalistic sounding songwriting that he purveys so well in his day job.
Caveat emptor, however, for if you are expecting a full-blown replica of the Bon Iver experience from the compositions of this talented gentleman then you’ll perhaps not entirely appreciate his debut album, “All We Grow”. And that would be a major injustice. Carey explores musical ideas in a different way to his brother-in-arms, his classical training giving him an ear and sensibility for compositional pieces that don’t necessarily always conform to a pop ideal. Many of the beautiful vocal sounds of Bon Iver are present though, as are the kind of spacious songs that gave “For Emma…” such a majestic grandeur. Carey makes songs to drift away to rather than to hide in a snow drift to, and listening to this music makes you realize what Vernon saw in Carey, who revels in creating an alluring, simple, elemental sound. Mood music lovers, investigate.
