This album, while not very forthright initially, has been sucking me in for three weeks now. With its silky piano, with its classy yet nondescript vocals, with its smooth, ingratiating melodies only occasionally disturbed by a ragged guitar line, this album feels intensely autumnal. Which is interesting as this is a man, remember, who made that classic LP with Beth Gibbons titled - yes - Out Of Season.
The man is Paul Webb (this is his second album under the 'Rustin Man' moniker), formerly a bassist of Talk Talk.
Drift Code is tasteful to a fault. You only need to look at the cover to realise that is one of those special records that get by on charm as much as they do on their musical substance. The same goes for Paul Webb's voice, too, which is late-period Bowie with just a touch of the Apartments' Peter Walsh.
The album features no particular highlights. Everything's lowkey and extremely even - although you might want to pick out the tinkling piano bit in "The World's In Town" around the 2:30 mark, or else the chorus of "Martian Garden" (the catchiest thing here), or else the mysterious groove underlying "Judgement Train". Elsewhere, "Light The Light" is almost playful and "Brings Me Joy" is almost the prettiest thing you will hear all year.
Mind you, the moment you let this record under your skin (which is the only true way of experiencing it), you will see it as a great mood-piece that could soundtrack any grim February of your life. However autumnal it may appear to be. And the way he intones 'summer' in that closing song - well, this will just sound devastating.
P.S. Rest in peace, Mark Hollis.
