What does Rapt sound like?

Fingerpicked folk at its finest.

The review of ‘Until The Light Takes Us’ by Rapt

Rapt, the moniker of Jacob Ware, has been making music for almost 20 years. However, it is only in the last decade that Rapt has formed a specific mood. Whether it’s ambient, folk, or classic singer-songwriter music, there will seemingly be a dreamy, ethereal, reflective dream current that runs through its veins. For his latest album ‘Until The Light Takes Us’, we are entranced by a bardic-style folk. Expect a lute-come-guitar style approach to the guitar and the melody and a soothing caress from warm vocals at every turn.

Most of the album is Rapt and his acoustic guitar with occasional violin, cello, piano, drums, and backing vocals. Its soft introduction begins with the lute-like ‘Over Aged Borders’. It is a short instrumental guitar solo that sets the tone and mood for the album to follow. ‘Attar Of Roses’ follows with soft, roomy guitar and Rapt’s hushed and brushed voice drifting over the top. The simplicity of the gently galloping arrangement focuses the listener on the lyrics, which explore the love for our world and its design flaws. Whilst Rapt has said the album was “written during the dying days of love”, the album can be expanded beyond pure romance. The lyrics speak of promises unable to be kept because people, seasons and the world change. Time marches on to the gallop of the guitar, moving faster than the violin and vocals that glide slowly aside it. Its warm honey ooze spills into reflective numbness with the swaying emptiness of ‘I Will Be My End’. Here, Jacob sings of his struggles with epilepsy and rheumatoid arthritis – the latter preventing him from playing the guitar for a year. It is a bleaker piece that brings solace and comfort through excellent background vocals. Think of medieval European folk hymns and you’ll be in the right ballpark. Tunng-esque dare I say.

‘Fields Of Juniper’ is a brighter track about devotion, commitment and undying love. The dreamy quality of Demi Haynes’ backing vocals and the Latin flourish of Jacob’s fingerwork give this track character in spades. Perfect for lighter swaying, quiet moments of huge gravity, it is the perfect intersection between indie folk and bard folk.

The title track is a delicate seven-minute track about Rapt’s neighbour who died from throat cancer on his birthday. Across the album, Rapt contemplates death and ailing bodies repeatedly – both his own and others. In many ways, the album feels like a processing of death as a whole. I wonder if that’s why the instrumentation and songwriting are so stripped back and direct. It is in this disarmingly honest and vulnerable track that Rapt concludes: “You see I am me and you can be you. That’s all I think we can do.” Sometimes the biggest revelations are the purist, most basic ones, and the crystal clear production and lack of gimmicks let the message hammer home.

From here, Rapt brings us his country folk track ‘Making Maps’. The track takes a poetic and at times gruesome take on what happens when all the cliches of declaring love aren’t enough. Rapt jokingly describes this as his diss track, whereas I’ll jokingly call it his contribution to country music. Fascinatingly, it guest stars Raoul Vignal on slide guitar. Upon my first listen to the album, I drew parallels between the two artists before even realising this was the case. The dreamy and soft vocals, the distant and rustic acoustic guitars, and the waning strings that rarely have motifs but instead paint tones – they are two peas in a pod. Nowhere is that comparison stronger than in the superb song ‘A Theory Of Resistance’. This cascading piece features guitars, violin, cello, and piano that build over time. The seven-minute epic speaks of each breath bringing us closer to death. It is beautifully melodic and the final two minutes have the instrumentation running full flow and slowly fading out to a distant blur. It is the bard folk equivalent of funeral bell tolls ringing out in the distance. Few artists are confident enough to let a mood drench a listener like that. The track is a career standout. The album closes with the short acoustic guitar and vocal song ‘Stood Still’. It is a plea to live freely and truly live as you never know what’s around the corner.

Quiet, understated, humble and confident. ‘Until The Light Takes Us’ is a focused album that carries its heart and mood on its sleeve. The fingerpicked guitar style works beautifully with Rapt’s ever comforting voice and they are a 1-2 gut-punch when singing about such a personal and emotive topic. Death comes in many forms and this album rides the deep waves of emotion that death can bring us. It contains some of Rapt’s best work to date and made me think about what I spend my time on. If there were justice in this world, ‘A Theory Of Resistance’ would be storming the folk charts right this very minute. It is one of my favourite songs of the year. It is a shining example of right time, right place, right person. This is a little album that can and does. This is an album I’ll return to again and again for comfort and solace. Remarkable.

Recommended track: A Theory Of Resistance

Support Higher Plain Music

Higher Plain Music is part of the Higher Plain Network – a one-man indie media project. If you like what I do, please consider supporting me via Patreon for as little as $1/£1 a month. In return, you’ll receive additional perks for supporting me, such as behind-the-scenes content and free downloads. You can also donate using PayPal. Sharing the website helps too or using the affiliate buy now links on reviews. I receive a few pence per Amazon sale. All your support will enable me to produce better content, more often. I’d love to make this a full-time media network and your support can make that happen. Thank you.