ALBUM REVIEW: Iechyd Da - Bill Ryder-Jones

 I am really digging into the trenches here. I am finding people I have never heard of. Searching for an elusive stellar album of 2024. This has brought me to Bill Ryder-Jones, beloved English singer/songwriter. He was originally a guitarist for the band the Coral. Now he works solo, and here lies an indie release almost akin to something between Coldplay and Radiohead, with sprinkles of modern indie successes of Death Cab for Cutie or Vampire Weekend. The singer himself says he is quite proud of this record. The album centers around a yearning - for something different each day - but a yearning nevertheless. Most of the songs were constructed during the COVID lockdowns, leaving a lot of room to do such.

The first two songs of the album, I Know That It's Like This (Baby) and A Bad Wind Blows in My Heart pt. 3 flow together rather seamlessly in melody and messaging. Difficulties coming in and blowing things apart.

If Tomorrow Starts With Me gets a little more Death Cab for Cutie, bringing up the piano tempo just a bit to wake you up from the first two tracks.

We Don't Need Them kind of pulled me out of it. The children choir getting involved seems...unfitting? The lyrics do not have the power he is trying to evoke. 

I Hold Something in My Hand returns to the more compelling beginning of the release. More pleasant, more fitting. I think I am itching for something more here though. 

What in the Elton John is the beginning of This Can't Go On? The fact he put his voice in an echo chamber wastes the beautiful production of the piece though.

...And the Sea... is confusing with the choice of instrumentation and the mumbling voice you cannot understand in the background.

Nothing to Be Done brings the bit of choir back and blends it with the echo chamber and together makes this song a misguided headache.

I think there's a possibility he is hoarse. Or maybe it is a poor production choice on It's Today Again. If you want to invoke feeling in me, I could use some help understanding what you are saying. Oh yes bring in the children's choir again too...

Christinha is probably one of the only songs I would return to. This seemed to capture what he was going on about better than...half the songs he was going on about it. 

How Beautiful I Am carries a sweet sentiment but becomes forgettable in the midst of everything around it. 

Thankfully for Anthony has his falling into a sort of deep voice rasp that does not sound on par with the beautiful string arrangement which disappoints me.

Nos Da is a quiet piano closer. 

I feel a need to segueway here. Forgive me. But what is it with modern indie? I have this problem with many of the acclaimed indie-songwriters of now. They have lyricism that means something but choose to sing it with the most monotonous vocal tone there is. Little feeling. It is a snoozefest. The lyrics deserve better and I will forever be annoyed with this issue.

LYRICS: 7/10 - I feel the lyrics would be better if the arrangements were better and the vocalist actually sang them like he felt anything about what was said.

MUSIC: 4/10 - Arrangements are really hurting this album. I do not mind a simplistic arrangement but there are small things put into these that are either too much for what he is doing or downright distruptive and pull you out of the songs.

OVERALL: 5/10 - A midrange, forgettable body of work that I will likely never return to beyond Christinha.