Samuel Sharp’s distinctive saxophone sound always reminds me of summer. There is something eternally pastoral about it; those mesmerising, enchanting soundscapes with a nostalgic feel, evoking images of rolling meadows, babbling brooks and sleepy spires shimmering in the haze of June’s never-ending days. His compositions always remind me of Thomas Hardy.
Of course, Hardy wasn’t all about the sunshine-dappled, fully-laden boughs of summer. And so it is with Samuel Sharp. Listening to Consequential by the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, with the early morning frost kissing the grass outside, it corresponds. This is music that provides the perfect soundtrack for December’s darkness, just as readily as it does in June.
The bewitching and melancholic Suffolk Moon no longer conjures up images of a crescent visible through the leafy covering of the county’s lanes. Instead, it is a colossal supermoon, icy blue, throwing its light across the fields. Twinkly Tide calls to mind the festive illuminations and the glittery wrapping paper, whilst Krasner With The Kids is transformed into a tune that feels like the backing track to a passage through bustling streets of last minute shoppers.
Veritably, Consequential is an album for all seasons. I hadn’t appreciated that before now. I had, however, fully understood just how good Samuel Sharp’s music is on Consequential. That hasn’t changed, nor, I imagine, is it likely to.
You can read my full review for Louder Than War right here.
the dark flux 