What does Caoilfhionn Rose sound like?

Dreamy, hazy and milky folktronica with gentle jazzy psychedelia undertones.

The review of ‘Constellation’ by Caoilfhionn Rose

After two distinctively indie folk albums that merged a milky warm cosy vibe, Caoilfhionn Rose branches out her sound into jazzier and ambient tones for her new album ‘Constellation’. The indie folk dreamscapes are still central to Caoilfhionn’s sound but the new album leans into elements only teased at before.

The title track opens the album and sets the mood. Whilst the song has a simple chord structure, each instrument plays softly but like it’s bustling along. The gentle guitar is rumbling. The electric piano vibrates to fill the sound. The synths echo on reverberant repeat. Every tiny sound or movement leaves an echo trace behind it like an audio stain and beam of light. It is beautifully produced and the idea of painting a simple sound with lots of strokes is a theme across the album. ‘Wandering Mind’ verges into dream jazz. Warm pools of keyboards underscore the softest saxophone embellishments and quirky synths. Add some Mandalay-esque soft drums emulating a drum machine and Rose’s featherweight voice and you have a beautiful aural experience. Again, hiding beneath the surface of a soothing track there’s all kinds of synth and piano gymnastics but you’ll barely hear them.

‘Momentary’ leans into the lyrical theme of the album – restoration. Caoilfhionn sings of moving beyond momentary emotions and the brushed jazz drum kit, saxophone and beautiful piano arrangement make this a standout track. I wasn’t expecting Caoilfhionn Rose channelling both Hania Rania and Mammal Hands but here we are. In fact, it is Jordan Smart from Mammal Hands is the saxophonist performing here and his presence is felt across the album. Returning closer to her earlier sound, the 70s folk-pop of ‘Josephine’ is a dreamy and seductive track. Caoilfhionn uses her vocals like an echo choir that scores an entire background melody like a haunted corridor. It adds an unusual edge to a soulful dewy piece. It amplifies my mood of either wonder or unease depending on how I feel but the plinky piano and vocal ambience is sumptuous whatever the weather.

‘Rainfall’ is full of textured ambience. It sounds like we’re in a quiet outskirt village with distant bells, rain, waves, drain gurgles and muted piano over brushed guitar. There are also some atmospherics which evoke twangs like a Hawaiian guitar or a Shamisen. The song is Japanese Country Village on a Rainy Day: Atmosphere Edition and it’s pillowy. Merging jazz and indie folk is the breezy ‘Simple’. It has what is the closest to a single sound the album has. The skipping drums, playful pianos and floaty vocals all sound like they are moving through time in separate orbits yet they belong together. It is cleverly done, like all the production on this album. That isn’t to say strong melodies aren’t present, it is just they are wrapped in a vast sky of sound. You can tune in and out of different elements and get a different feel to many songs. ‘Fall into Place’ is a great example of this. All the instrumentation is filtered in a Gaussian blur haze but the drums, piano, guitar and saxophone all give it welly. The album doesn’t want to scream, it wants to unfurl instead.

Electric piano and light organ washes lead the way with ‘Into Sky’. The simple childlike four-chord pattern and trip-hop jazz beats bring a playful edge. Caoilfhionn Rose’s spends most of the track in her upper register floating higher and higher as wind samples blow the track away. That leads us to ‘Drifting Dust’ which uses reversed vocal harmonies as a pastel synth for this reflective and homely piece. The instrumental piece narratively feels like we’re grounding ourselves after letting our feet get too high off the ground earlier. ‘A Light in the Middle’ closes out the album with a melting pot of everything that has come before. It is a triumphant finale as the track runs at a more bombastic pace and flow than the rest of the album. I feel like we’re tumbling around the solar system like a shooting star ablaze yet serene. The track is a great way to close the album out.

To find such an interesting and thoughtful production across an entire album is rare. Caoilfhionn Rose has struck gold with how serene and full of wonder ‘Constellation’ sounds. This all harks back to the album being a celestial elixir – to help restore the listener and rejuvenate the soul. Every sound feels warm and inviting. All the echoes and long-tail ambient throbs and coos make the album feel rich, creamy and indulgent. When played with good headphones it is an audio feast to savour. Caoilfhionn Rose is three for three.

Recommended track: Momentary

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