Almanzo - Cognate Resolutions
Almanzo Ward is a singer-songwriter from London, UK. His magnum opus, Cognate Resolutions, is incredibly impressive for its 100 minute run time, though much of the album is one note. While it consistently captivates over three discs, there’s very little to distinguish between the songs bar the lyricism. Regardless, the album is oozing with personality and emotion.
The opener What Are You Gonna Do? Harkens the quiet chamber music of Lisa Germano, without the exquisite instrumentation. The cold, methodical percussion and simplistic-yet-effective synth work is the perfect accompaniment to Almanzo’s introspective and torturous requiems, though, as much of the opener’s mood and style is prevalent through the remaining album. There are many truly marvellous songs scattered throughout; Cottagecore is marvellously enhanced by Almanzo’s personal and heartfelt delivery, beautifully accompanied by captivating keys. Like many other tracks, there’s very little progression within the track, though it is gorgeously paced and consistently captivating. Private Confessional’s cold, detached vocals are perfectly fitting to the grotesque and gloomy lyricism (“You get to fuck the priest when you’re done”). Love is Just Around the Corner is masterfully moody. Falling displays much needed range within the instrumentation and synth work, though Be Alone does it much better thanks to Almanzo’s terrific vocal layering. Hole In My Heart demonstrates that even without the prolific synth work, Almanzo is still capable of captivating with his baron, fruitful keys and humble, comforting voice. Lastly, Debt features some of the strongest songwriting, despite the instrumentation being somewhat indistinguishable from the remaining album.
Unfortunately, much of the remaining tracklisting is disposable. The album constantly repeats itself, without simply picking the most refined and outstanding pieces. For instance, Innocence and Made of Glass both explore venerable, yet vulgar themes; yet the latter does it better than the former – an instance where Almanzo should have combined the elements into a single song, or simply picked the better of the two. Furthermore, songs such as Are You Here To Take My Heart?, I’ll Be (Around), Love Lights, Lavender, Hotter Than Hell, Love is (A Hard Pill To Chew), Sincerity and Forever Stripped are only there to methodically pace the album along. Even the title track, Cognate Resolutions, can’t help sound like filler. It’s apparent that Almanzo aims from quantity over quality.
Overall, Cognate Resolutions benefits from its grand vision and remarkable performance, though it’s a difficult album to relisten to. Moreover, it’s at times too self-indulgent. Had the album been one third the length, it would have been the ultimate showcase to Almanzo’s body of work. Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of reasons to tune an ear into Cognate Resolutions, yet here’s hoping the artist will respect his audience’s time more in future with a tighter selection process.
Good
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Almanzo - Cognate Resolutions
