We Know About the Need

We Know About the Need is the debut album from Bracken, the shrouded-in-mystery solo venture of Chris Adams (otherwise voice and co-sound designer of Leeds legends Hood). The organic chemistry of the Books and the spaciousness of Boards of Canada both come to mind, but Bracken burrows deeper than the former and plays a million times warmer than the latter. Chris’ ghostly call pushes up against the ceiling of sound, nearly cracking under the weight, singing beauty and heartache with tape effects catching notes and ringing them ad infinitum.

Field recordings meet piano, clarinet and voice to unexpectedly serene effect, and a combination of slow-moving beats, mounting “Ooh”s, 808-worthy bass thump and uncut guitar creates the kind of heaviness that stays for weeks. And as smart as all of this sounds, Bracken’s lasting beauty comes from how emotive the music is. We Know About the Need is both a venture forward into the unknown and a heavy axe into the gut of something far too human and familiar.