Last week a friend of mine asked if I’d heard of Paul Thomas Saunders, I hadn’t, so shamefully said no, but I was eager to hear his music. I listened to the recently released album ‘Beautiful Desolation’ on Spotify and it blew me away that much that I purchased his vinyl the next day. Though he’s not in the charts, and not headlining Glastonbury and such this year, I genuinely think he has a great future in the music industry ahead of him, and if you listen to one new artist today, then it should be him!
Saunders appeared on the music scene in 2010, and using only his guitar, microphone, computer, and striking voice, he released his home recorded solo debut EP, ‘Four Songs in Twilight’, followed by another home recorded EP, ‘Lilac & Wisteria’, before signing to Atlantic. Once signed to Atlantic, Saunders released another home recorded EP, ‘Descartes Highlands’, before the release of his current EP, ‘Beautiful Desolation’, which was released in April of this year.
Though Saunders is originally from Leicester, it was after attending college in Leeds when he broke in to the music scene, earning an opening slot at the Leeds Live music festival, after gaining a positive reputation within Leeds due to his mesmeric live performances. Although we’re all for the Paul Thomas Saunders experience, he wastes no time in complimenting the live group of musicians he works so harmoniously with; ‘The Fever Dreams’. If his voice had to be summed in one word, I’d go for ‘emotive’, which is hardly surprising as he was brought up as a choir boy, which explains the purity within his voice – his vocal range appears wide and clear which makes it extremely difficult to pin point him to one genre, though fills us with the confidence that he will go far, and continuously surprise us.
There’s quite a few mentions of space within the album, which comes as no surprise, as Saunders describes himself as quite a space enthusiast, leading to him being associated with the genre ‘dream pop’. ‘Beautiful Desolation’ kicks off beautifully with ‘Kawai Celeste’, easing us in to the album in a manner that reminds me of a ‘Temper Trap’ track. The album is atmospheric and poignant throughout, and flows from beginning to end – it’s interesting that such beautiful music can one minute be accompanied by graceful lyrics from Saunders, before suddenly switching to lyrics with darker underpinnings. For example, “those dreams your had, they’ll suffer, they’ll die” from ‘Good Women’, and “kids in the shape of bayonets and body bags” from ‘Wreckheads and the Female Form’.
My favourite track on the album is ‘Appointment in Samarra’, which is extremely catchy and very Ben Howard-esque, with a beautiful combination of instruments in the background, including a killer guitar riff, though the lyrics suggest the melancholic underpinning of an abusive relationship coming to an abusive end. Starless State Of The Moonless Barrow is another catchy pleaser, with completely contrasting lyrics, of a romantic nature. “You’re the relentless star that keeps me holding on to yesterdays sunrise” is just one example of the amorous lyrical masterpiece the track is, almost transporting your soul as a listener to a picturesque beach, where you’re watching the sunrise Saunders sings so elegantly about.
Saunders has the listener enticed and in love only a couple of tracks in, with the combination of his angelic voice, sublime melodies, and poetic lyrics – at only 24, it’s clear to see that Saunders is extremely gifted, and I hope he’s on the way to get the recognition he so clearly deserves. Saunders is currently performing a number of gigs abroad, before returning to the UK for a number of the smaller festivals in July/August, starting with a local one for him; King of the Mountains Festival, in Yorkshire. If you get the chance to see him this summer, I’d strongly recommend you do!
You can check ‘Beautiful Desolation’ out here.
By Laura Dean – @modestlaura
