Black Feathers Sam Brookes

• 1 Ekarma 04:31
• 2 Sinking Boats 04:19
• 3 18 and Sleeping 04:01
• 4 Falling 04:45
• 5 Black Feathers 04:14
• 6 Be Free 02:46
• 7 Into The Night 04:42
• 8 Granite 04:25
• 9 Fools on Saturn 03:59
• 10 The Sleeper 04:47
• Total Runtime 42:29

Info for Black Feathers

"Black Feathers" is Sam Brookes first album in six years. It follows the critically acclaimed Kairos which was hailed as one of 2014's stand-out albums by The Independent, and Brookes as a Breaking Act by Sunday Times Culture, with critics comparing his evocative and rich folk-tinged sound to the likes of Bon Iver and Jeff Buckley.

A lot happened in those six seemingly absent years, Sam Brookes lost his father and had a long-term relationship unravel, before losing a close friend. A relocation to the relative calm of Bristol followed with some time out to process before the experiences were slowly poured into the songs of Black Feathers, an album Brookes describes as "a mediation on grief."

Despite, or perhaps because of, the album's heartrendingly honest exploration of loss and heartbreak, and its undeniable undercurrent of turmoil, Black Feathers is a thing of exquisite beauty. There are glimmers of hope and light peeking through the darkness, a sense that the record takes the listener through the very heart of the pain but then out the other side, to a place of acceptance. As Brookes came to understand: "Grief visits you from time to time. It hurts and instinctively you want to fight it, but if you learn to hold it lightly then you can carry it with you, not as a burden but as a guide."

Taking centre stage on Black Feathers is Brookes' startling and emotive multi-octave vocal and his guitar, a stripped back approach that lends the album its intimate and confessional feel that at times recalls the stark emotional appeal of Laura Marling. On Falling fingerpicked acoustic guitar and softly brushed drums quietly soundtrack a gently rousing song essentially of acceptance, whereas 18 And Sleeping is an ode to giving oneself time.

However, Black Feathers is also an album of many layers, of subtle twists and turns, of pulsating simmering depth. Boasting an impressive ensemble, the record includes guests such as revered jazz pianist Neil Cowley, acclaimed fiddle player Sam Sweeney, and Ethan Johns – who has worked with Ray LaMontagne, Kings Of Leon, Laura Marling and more – making a rare appearance behind the drum kit.

There are moments of percussive vigour on the record which recall John Martyn's Solid Air (Sinking Boats) whilst songs such as first single Ekarma and the dream-state album closing track The Sleeper touch on Thom Yorke's more pensive and disquieting moments.

Then there are the tracks where the ensemble comes to life, songs such as the propulsive and expansive Into The Night, or the bitter-sweet folk-pop of Fools On Saturn. The stark and haunting title track Black Feathers takes us to a place of grief-afflicted sorrow, where Granite brings a subtle acoustic folk palette and mournful strings.

Brookes fully achieved his vision with Black Feathers, to create an album that "Transports the listener to a place of peace and openness, each song being a planet of emotion for you to explore, absorb or simply fall into."

"At the end of the day, comparisons about who Sam Brookes sounds like tend to be futile. It simply doesn’t matter. The guitar playing is exquisite, the vocals sublime. As a singer and songwriter, Sam Brookes is already entering the highest echelons. He is a national treasure, and Black Feathers suggests that if it takes another six years for the third volume of songs, the wait will be worth it!" (Bob Fish, klofmag.com)

Sam Brookes, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals, piano [Prepared], Dobro, classical guitar
Nick Pini, bass, double bass, fretless bass
Ethan Johns, drums (tracks 3, 9)
Josh Magill, drums (tracks 2, 10)
Daisy Palmer,drums, percussion (tracks 1, 3-8)
Kit Hawes, guitar (tracks 2)
Dom Monks, Mellotron (tracks 1)
Sam Sweeney, Nyckelharpa (tracks 2)
Rob Pemberton, percussion (tracks 5)
Laurence Love Greed, piano (tracks 9)
Neil Cowley, piano (tracks 6-7), synthesizer (tracks 9)
Sam Sweeney, strings (tracks 7), viola (tracks 5, 8)
Rob Pemberton, synthesizer (tracks 4)

Sam Brookes
is a Bristol-based alternative folk artist whose distinctive voice frequently draws comparisons with Jeff Buckley and Bon Iver and has landed him features and collaborations with artists as diverse as Lucy Rose and Basement Jaxx.

His 2011 eponymous debut saw him named as Sunday Times ‘Breaking Act’ and his independently released follow up Kairos was picked as one of the best albums of 2014 by The Independent. Considerable streaming success and support slots for the likes of Willy Mason, Scott Matthews and Joan Armatrading have earned Sam a dedicated following.

Black Feathers was released in October 2020 on Go Slowly Records. It is Sam’s first album in six years and described as “a meditation on grief”. Taking centre stage on the new album is Brookes’ emotive multi-octave vocal and his guitar, a stripped-back approach that lends the album its intimate and confessional feel.

‘The guitar playing is exquisite, the vocals sublime. As a singer and songwriter, Sam Brookes is already entering the highest echelons. He is a national treasure, and Black Feathers suggests that if it takes another six years for the third volume of songs, the wait will be worth it!’ - Folk Radio

‘Carefully produced and lovingly constructed, a finer chunk of absorbing, modern folk you will be hard pressed to find. For all the woes at its centre, Black Feathers somehow never feels miserable or self-indulgent; it’s a work of introspection that actively draws the listener in. It may not put a spring in your step but it does offer to walk beside you, like some mysterious emotional companion. It is the sound of calm inside the storm and of light emanating from the darkest places.’ - Rich Barnard, Red Guitar Music

‘Black Feathers sends its own prayer (coated with many colours!) into the warm summer night stars with exquisite ever-present vocals and patiently choreographed slow-danced songs.’ - Bill Golembeski, Folking

This album contains no booklet.