Although with one foot firmly in a dreamy, ambient-folk place, it is, as is always the way, those additional adventures into bordering —and not-so-nearby —genres to find additional tones and textures that make Goodwin’s lush and expansive sound so compelling.
It’s not so much a case of musicians trying to push folk music in new directions, more that folk music is just one of many building blocks they use to create their sound. And while there are many sonic strands being woven through their music, this sonic design is deftly and delicately designed, allowing space to breathe and light to get in.
This isn’t the first time I’ve found Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore as inspiration for a song under my pen, and “Friend” reflects not only his inspirational writing —his words of beauty and love —but also builds an appropriate soundscape for those to call home.
Hypnotic beats dance, strings swoon and swoop and sweep, layers of additional harmonies drift through, guitars deftly chime, and as the song reaches its final destination, we find ourselves in a place infused with the sounds of the sub-continent, thanks in no small part to Anthony Safferty’s sitar. A place where we would find the Bard of Bengal himself immersed in his work. The result is a tantalizing blend of the Occident and Orient.
It is a strikingly beautiful piece, one that reminds us of connectivity —not just the coming together of different genres and the connection between music and literature — but also the understanding of love and relationships, connectivity, and, of course, friendship that gets to the heart of what it means to be human.
Music, eh? In the right hands, much more poignant, powerful, and philosophical than you can possibly imagine.
