Talons' - Songs For Babes (Album)

Have you ever wondered what the best record you’ve never heard is? Well, you might as well save your brain the work, because it‘s probably The United Colors of Trouble Books by Trouble Books. It’s a feast of gentle ambience which will bathe your brain in a soothing, delicate fuzz.

One of the main protagonists of Trouble Books is Mike Tolan, who, not content with recording beautiful music under one moniker, also issues solo(ish) records as Talons’.

Under this name, Tolan has released a number of home recorded CD-Rs, and we now see his first full release, Songs for Babes. It’s a concept record of sorts, with each song apparently named after a different woman. But don’t worry, it sounds nothing like Kelly Jones. With most songs featuring just Tolan, his guitar and miscellaneous background chirruping (of which more later), it’s not a million miles away from his work with Trouble Books.

On Songs for Babes, he certainly manages to capture the same sense of warmth that made The United Colors… so captivating. As the songs are crafted from such minimalist elements, there is a fragility about them which is almost uncomfortable at times. ‘Erin’, for example, is a short but devastatingly beautiful song which juxtaposes the mundanities of day-to-day life with crushing, world changing horror with particularly affecting results: “It’s kinda like the feeling you get when you’re peeling the flag magnet off your car.. Oh, when I think of 9/11, I wish I would’ve followed you home”.

There are so many moments on this record which show Talons’ impressive command of the nuances of song construction. Coming from him, the gentlest lilt of the voice or trickle of melody can have a massive impact. The acapella ending to ‘Taz’ and gossamer-thin delivery of ‘Angela’ are just two examples from an endless list of possibilities.

The emotional pull doesn’t just come from the words, or Tolan’s fragile, careworn voice, but also from what lies under the surface of the songs. What lifts Talons’ above the clichéd hell that apparently automatically dictates ‘man + guitar = emotion’ is the gently bubbling ambient undercurrent. Weird, noodling effects combine with everyday background noises like police sirens, seagulls and chattering friends to create an incredibly intimate feel, as though Tolan is singing to you and nobody else.

‘Songs for Babes’ is an album to wrap around yourself while the wind and rain batter your windows. It is further proof of Mike Tolan’s peerless ability to create spacious beauty, seemingly without any effort at all. He is one of music’s best kept secrets. For now.