RICHARD DAWSON

The Ruby Cord (Weird World)

Weighing in at 41 minutes long and composed of several distinct segments, The Hermit – the remarkable opening track on Richard Dawson’s new record – is effectively an album in its own right. An extended meditative, lugubrious introduction – brushed drums, notes left to hang heavy – gives way to hallucinogenic pastoral folk that is both experimental and epic.

Frontloading the LP like this is fraught with danger, but what follows isn’t overshadowed. The initial theatricality of The Fool and The Tip Of An Arrow’s chug are a welcome callback to Henki, the Geordie artist’s recent collaboration with Finnish metallers Circle, while Horse And Rider gives the listener an unexpectedly stirring send-off. 

There will inevitably be those who take one look at the running time and recoil, crying self-indulgence, but if anyone should be given the licence to do what he wants, it’s Dawson – a true original in an age of feeble facsimiles. 

words BEN WOOLHEAD