Homesongs

The debut album by Kieran Hebden’s old Fridge bandmate Adem Illhan doesn’t bear much similarity to the pair’s old outfit’s post-rock explorations. In fact, one of the first things you notice about Homesongs is its gentle, folkie intimacy and moments of hushed reflection. The quiet glow emanating off songs such as There Will Always Be and Pillow warm the spirit like an open hearth, while on the arm-around-the-shoulder reassurances of These Are Your Friends, Illhan delivers a homespun take on the sort of soul-lifting anthem with which Elbow would soon be filling arenas with. A beautiful and sorely overlooked record.

Adem Ilhan’s debut solo album emerged as the folktronica / nu folk scene was hitting its peak in the UK and fitted right in with its dulcimers, glockenspiels, strummed acoustic guitars and generally twinkling sound — though it’s not really that folky. It’s more an indie singer-songwriter album, not a million miles from a looser, rootsier Coldplay — and with as many hooks as that entails. In comparison with the cerebral instrumental music of Adem’s work in Fridge with Kieran “Four Tet” Hebden and Sam Jeffers, it’s emotionally open stuff, delicate in its construction but immensely powerful in the resulting expression. A warm-hearted wonder.