Homesongs

An amazingly beautiful debut from Adem (pronounced "Ah'dem"), best known for his work with Kieren Hebden in Fridge. Recorded first in his tiny bedroom in Whitechapel, and later in his slightly more spacious apartment in Stoke Newington, "Homesongs" was made with just two borrowed, catch-all mics and a computer so old that it had to be wrapped in Adem’s duvet to muffle the motor hum. On this album, Adem moves toward full-on singing (something he didn't start doing until 2002), as harmoniums wheeze, an autoharp twangs, a child’s toy clicks, and a glockenspiel provides lone accompaniment -- nowhere is a drumkit to be found. Through all this, his crackling sincerity pours through, crawling over bluesy folk arrangements, with a nod to pop structures, experimentation, and drenched souls begging to see the sun.