Philip Selway – Familial

Releasedate: 30-08-2010; Label: Bella Union
By: Lara Cappelli

Drummer Philip Selway decided to take the plunge and go for a singer/songwriter career. “Familial” is his first solo album.

If the name Philip Selway sounds familiar to your ears that’s probably because you might have heard it from Radiohead as he is, and always has been, the drummer of this band. But if you think this is some kind of experimental drums-based album, this is not the case. We find him in a totally different role such as main vocalist and guitarist. Before the release of “Familial”, Philip toured Europe to promote it, together with singer/songwriter Lisa Germano who randomly makes her appearance in this album too. Having attended one of those shows, I would say the feeling that came out of it was kind of bittersweet, and so it is for the album itself. In both the cases the atmosphere that gets created is incredibly intimate. Phil’s voice is crystalline, so much so that it comes natural to wonder why Radiohead have never used it so far. Guitars are also pretty remarkable, played with a delicacy that almost lulls you throughout the listening. What the album really lacks of is variety though. Despite being quite diverse on a melody point of view, the songs are characterized by the same calm mood that doesn’t make them differ one another.

If I was asked to give a pleasantness mark to the album, I would definitely go for a high one. If the same question regarded incisiveness, the result wouldn’t be the same. Philip Selway walked a safe path this time that sounded just too “familial” to me.

Links:
Philip Selway MySpace
Philip Selway Official