Philip Selway / Familial / Bella Union
Making the temporary transition from British rock idol to common composer is as audacious as a third grader flying solo and performing a horrendous Backstreet Boys gem in front of his entire school. Despite facing blank faces, Philip Selway quietly opens the book of Familial, a tender release stemming from the acoustic matrimony of Radiohead’s back catalogue.
The record may not delicately traumatize like The Bends but it’s mysterious character has an infectious persona, one that can bolt itself on you while you feed on every Kodak instant moment of when you first discovered Selway’s timeless group. For a drummer, the amateur lines and sways in and out of muted simplicity begs for a crash of creative fury, but it constructs the point of the release which is to provide warmth without being overly sentimental. Or in common words, represent a history, a band name and an individual identity without sounding drugged off imagination.
Download: “The Witching Hour”, “A Simple Life”
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