It’s inching toward the winter solstice, the thermometer is showing 1 degree and there are flakes on the 7-day forecast and it’s very much feeling like winter. The title of Simon Lynge’s second album, however, refers more to the winter inside: ‘my body feels colder when it is sad and the smallest task can only be achieved through extreme effort. It’s the sapping effects of melancholy which he describes on ‘Paper Thin’, and it’s a recurring theme, with images drawn from nature both metaphorical and literal defining his poetic lyrical style.
There’s a sadness which pervades as he reflects on the ways in which technology, materialism, and modern life have led us to become so removed from the natural world, but through it are beams of light and love. Musically, there’s a levity which counteracts the permeating ripples of minor chord sadness articulated through delicately picked acoustic guitar, accompanied by bass and drums to give more of a ‘full band’ than ‘solo artist’ feel. There are some lilting melodies and breezy harmonies, as well as some interesting incidental instrumental augmentation, from saxophone to subtle strings and woodwind which flesh out the arrangements and add depth of field.
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And so sad, reflective and wistful as it is – and ‘Deep Snow’ is extremely sad, reflective and wistful, it’s also beautifully crafted and so affectingly human that it’s hard not to enjoy.
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