Alabaster DePlume: A Blade Because a Blade Is Whole review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week
(International Anthem)
While some listeners might baulk at the earnest spoken-word incantations, you can’t argue with DePlume’s outstanding melodies, played with tremulous vibrato
Alabaster DePlume’s seventh album comes with a statement of purpose. “What is it FOR?” asks the accompanying blurb, written by the artist, born Angus Fairbairn. “To inspire and facilitate our independent healing … Recently I told everyone to ‘go forward in the courage of your love’ and ‘be brazen like a baby’. Following this incitement to boldness it is only fair that I offer a perspective on healing whatever comes as a result.”
There is more – a lot more, including a poem – but you get the gist. An album arriving with an explicit mission statement is an unusual occurrence, but to anyone familiar with Fairbairn and his work, the obvious response is: well, of course it does. The only variable is whether you say that in a tone of delight or with a roll of the eyes. Since his 2020 breakthrough with the soothing To Cy and Lee: Instrumentals Vol 1, the saxophonist – known for his tremulous, vibrato-heavy style – and spoken-word artist has carved out a unique small space, so specific that it’s almost bound to be divisive.
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