Nick Drake is a musician I’ve often heard about online, but until tonight has been one that I’ve never really listened to. Nick Drake was a folk and folk rock musician who died at the age of 26 in 1974. Though he suffered an untimely death due to an overdose of antidepressants, the music that he made during his life has been cited as an inspiration for artists and groups like The Cure, R.E.M., Kate Bush, Paul Weller, Aimee Mann, Beck, and The Black Crowes. This album, Pink Moon (1972), was the last album released by Drake while he was alive, and only featured himself on vocals and guitar, with a brief piano on the first track. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Pink Moon” begins with a super low, warm, earthy acoustic guitar that gradually has higher notes mixed in. Oh wow, the vocals are super interesting, with a style that almost reminds me a bit of Skip Spence’s vocals on his only solo album. Oh wow, the piano adds some super bright and warm melancholic flavors to the soundscape. Wow, great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “Place to Be” has a nice mixture of bass notes and the higher, more melodic notes, which both seem to be completely separate, almost as if they’re being played on separate guitars. The mood of the album sort of feels like a melancholic version of Tim Buckley’s Lady, Give Me Your Key: The Unissued 1967 Solo Acoustic Sessions (2016). I can definitely understand how this album could have influenced artists like The Cure, The Black Crowes, and Beck. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Road” starts out with a super folksy guitar line that reminds me a bit of Bert Jansch’s guitar work. Oh wow, the vocals don’t come in until about a third into the song, and have a super earthy resonance with the acoustic guitar that I really dig. Great track.
Oh wow, “Which Will” starts out with some folksy guitar that almost reminds me of Peter Rowan. Oh wow, there seems to be a bit of an optimistic sound in this track that seems to diverge some from the first tracks on the album. I really dig the guitar work in this track. Great tune.
Oh wow, “Horn” starts out with some gentle folksy notes from an acoustic guitar that seem to nearly drone into the soundscape, almost in a zen-like fashion. Wow, super pleasant instrumental track.
Oh wow, “Things Behind the Sun” starts out with some super flavorful acoustic guitar that almost sounds as though the mood of the playing is in limbo, never leaning happy or sad, but continuing on nonetheless. Oh wow, the vocals seem to push the guitar playing over to a more optimistic sound for a bit. Oh wow, this tune seems to keep on giving, and I’m really digging the sound. The tune sort of reminds me of a raspy, folksier version of some tracks on George Harrison’s album, All Things Must Pass (1970). Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Know” starts out with a super bluesy sounding folk-inflected acoustic guitar line, which is soon joined by a sort of humming from Drake. Oh wow, the sweet vocals from Drake come in and seem to relieve tension I didn’t even realize had built up. Wow, great tune.
Oh wow, “Parasite” starts out with an interesting conglomeration of sounds from an acoustic guitar that almost sound as though there are multiple guitars playing at once with the resonance in the soundscape. Oh wow, the raspy vocals from Drake bring a super sweet, melancholic feel to the soundscape that I’m really digging. Oh wow, it almost sounds like there’s light piano accentuating the guitar playing towards the end of the tune. Great track.
Oh wow, “Free Ride” has a sort of darkness to the folksy acoustic guitar at the beginning of the track. Oh wow, Drake’s vocals seem to serving as some sort of dark, folksy shaman that is accompanying the flowing lines of the acoustic guitar playing in the track. Super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “Harvest Breed” seems to tease at some bluesiness in the folksy playing of the acoustic guitar at the beginning of the track, without ever necessarily getting there. Oh wow I really dig the guitar in this one. Great track.
Oh wow, “From the Morning” begins with an acoustic guitar that feels as though the guitar is evoking the sound of a sunrise, which is complemented well by the optimistic tone in Drake’s vocal performance in this track. Super sweet tune, and a great way to end the album.
Wow, this album is super interesting, and almost haunting to an extent. The playing style throughout the album reminded me very much of Skip Spence’s solo album, Oar (1969), mixed with some flavors of Tim Buckley’s unissued 1967 acoustic session album, Lady, Give Me Your Key: The Unissued 1967 Solo Acoustic Sessions (2016), and even at times reminded me a bit of George Harrison’s album, All Things Must Pass (1970). The acoustic guitar playing matched Drake’s vocals quite well, producing an earthy, folksy, and at times dark sound that complemented Drake’s vocal performance quite well. If you’re a fan of folk music, especially that of a darker mood, you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A