Hour Of The Nightingale
Aleah Stanbridge does not need to raise her voice to carry this music. On Hour of the Nightingale she sings softly and clearly while heavy, slow guitars move around her. Trees of Eternity find their strength in melody and sustained sadness. The space between the instruments makes that approach especially affecting.
The music generally stays close to this starting point. Acoustic guitar passages give way to distorted chords, keyboards fill the background and the singing holds everything together. The backing follows the voice carefully. The heavier moments therefore strengthen the emotion without having to overwhelm the quiet delivery.
The Passage demonstrates this well. Its chorus does not need a complicated structure to make an impression. The move from gentle backing to heavier playing adds force to the melody. The controlled performance makes the song convincing. The arrangement changes enough to increase the tension while the central feeling remains intact.
Sinking Ships returns the album to acoustic guitar and keyboards. It is a shorter pause within a record that otherwise takes its time. Gallows Bird makes the sound particularly heavy. Nick Holmes adds his deep, clear voice alongside Stanbridge's. The difference between them fits the dark atmosphere and gives the long closing track a character of its own.
The album arrived after Stanbridge's death in 2016. That background makes her contribution more moving, although the music can make an impression without the story. The fairly constant mood and running time of over an hour require patience. In return, this is a carefully connected record where restrained singing and heavy guitars strengthen each other beautifully. Hour of the Nightingale takes its time and makes that choice feel worthwhile throughout.
