I can fall asleep to almost anything I listen to. I tend to get distracted when I’m studying if I’m listening to a new album, but can almost always happily hear the sounds of a familiar record while getting work done. Enjoyable driving music encompasses a vast selection of tunes and can be almost anything. However, one album that always requires my undivided attention is Hello Dear Wind by Page France. It’s an emotional journey through those moments when you can’t get over childhood, whether as an actual child or older. Biblical stories become vehicles for more idyllic times in the early part of the album. A junkyard becomes the stomping ground for a king and a queen to arise, a feather the lifeline by which two people remain connected for eternity. The tracks in this album all successfully analogize everyday occurrences into fond memories of youth.
Each song is carried along gently with plethora of softly strummed guitars hovering underneath Michael Nau’s soft, trembling voice. Tambourines, bells, and an xylophone comprise the majority of the percussion, never failing to deliver a hearty beat for the gorgeous sounds around to shine through. Opening track “Chariot,” featured in Grey’s Anatomy years ago, promises that “we will become, a happy ending,” only after the bridge breaks down into a variety of voices chanting “Fire come and carry us, make us shine or make us rust, tell us that you care for us, that you need to hear a word from us.”
This album is simply a wonderment of folk music, lightly touching upon deep topics while buoyed by enrapturing sounds from the band. Nau’s cadence is sweet and lively, giving the entire album an atmosphere of warmth and openness, a naïve and playful attitude that I rarely hear. A highly recommended listen for anyone who loves down tempo folk that produces moments of pure beauty.
