Tom Woodward is a heck of a guy. This goes without saying for fans of the fruit-harvesting, high school music theory text-pilfering, South Wales woods tent-living ways of the artist, but for those just catching up, Woodward is an artist who has carved his way onto the folk scene by means of psychedelia. From the aforementioned, one might not be too surprised, being that he lives what he crafts—the dude is, by and large, a psych folkster through and through, in his art as it is imitated through life. Think of it, perhaps, as a less ironic Father John Misty, though in lieu of producing a caricaturesque, brutish side to oneself as good ol’ Josh Tillman had done during the Fear Fun era, Woodward is Woodward and Woodward is he.
The title track from off of Woodward’s upcoming album, Beautiful Shadows, is also his lead single. Altogether offbeat and sincere, Woodward paints an aural picture for his listeners by embracing the combined purity and convolution of darkness. This comes across as figurative in song, of course, though the accompanying music video features plenty of compelling black and white imagery that continues to drive the sentiment of the track home. It makes for a captivating statement on humanity in individuals and as a collective entity over the time that we’ve spent on this earth, all under the captivating, darkly brood of spacey instrumentation.
All in all, it’s worth a listen and a watch. Credit is due where it’s due, and in this case it’s due to the following: Tom Woodward, Bambi Valentine, Alice Taylor, and Konrad Lenz. If you like what you hear, please feel free to pre-order Woodward’s upcoming album, Beautiful Shadows, over at his Bandcamp page.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUucvsaf3yg
Words by: Jonathan Frahm