Let Beautiful In is many things. It is a collection of songs that merges the boundaries between folk and indie, ambiance and art, analog and digitalia, and melody and mood. It is dreamlike and, delicate and deftly spun. It is a gorgeous suite of music that borders on the neo-classical. But it is, via its reimagination as Let Beautiful In (Rewoven), a reminder that any recording is just the result of one possible sonic course of action and that songs can have second, third, and fourth acts. The story only ends when the artist decides that it does.
In its original form, Let Beautiful In is an apt title, for that is precisely what it does. Beautiful in the form of “44’s” blends of simple but effective piano motifs, drifting drones, and the sort of vocal duet that reminds you of Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan. It’s beautiful, thanks to the title track’s Mediterranean vibes and sun-kissed haze, and beautiful because of the drifting gorgeousness that “Victimless Crime” is woven around.
Reimagining such songs might seem unnecessary; are they not already sublime as they are? Well, yes, but the point surely is not to try and improve on near-perfection but to offer a parallel sonic narrative. Which is exactly what we find with Let Beauty In (Rewoven.)
“44” is now powered by tumbling electronic beats but loses none of its inherent grace. “Victimless Crime” is surrounded by more avant-garde pianos and lilting grooves, and then a second offering takes it to a skittering indie-folk-dance place. “Winds” now becomes as squalling and confused as the title might suggest, but artfully so, and the title track is rendered into a brilliant late-night chill room classic.
This is why genres are pointless. What The Woven Project proves with these releases is that it is possible to write a song in one style and, in the right pair of hands, find a whole new outlet and audience in another. These are the right pairs of hands, no question.
Music can be a never-ending story. Indeed, music should be a never-ending story.
