The Greater Wings - Julie Byrne: Review

Julie Byrne

is a New York singer-songwriter whose defining characteristics of sonic minimalism and folk instrumentation aren't unique to her but do create a distinctive sound. Her breakout album came in 2017 with the critical gem Not Even Happiness which features beloved songs like Follow My Voice and Natural Blue. After the tragic passing of one of her collaborators caused a delay, Byrne's third studio album The Greater Wings arrives 6 years after her breakthrough.

Review by Lav:

I've always loved Not Even Happiness. It's an album whose sonic intention is clear even if its songwriting isn't always flawless. Even its most patient moments have never waned on me. Earlier this year I spotted the album on vinyl in the used section of my local record store and figured it had been long enough. That turned out to be the start of a year full of Julie's rich vocals and delicate instrumental palettes. She returned with three new singles in the lead up to this album, each of which are excellent. And even if that consistent isn't entirely kept up throughout, I'm still thrilled with what she delivered on The Greater Wings.

Thie album gets off to an incredible start. The Greater Wings is really a perfect opener because it has all the album's beauty on display immediately. It also comes packaged with memorable refrains and lyrics throughout. The moments when the song shifts from the chorus back into the verses are so gentle and so perfect that I find them completely irresistible. I also love the next track Portrait Of A Clear Day which delivers more tangible plucked guitar and folk flavors. Though its wordier than some of the other tracks here it's never overbearing. What's far more interesting to me about the track is how much more free-form Julie allows herself to be with her refrains, to great results.

Moonless stood out to me as a single because it has orchestration, but uses it very gently. The song sways loosely like much of the album but has meaningful increases in emotion saved for just the right moments. My favorite song is still the lead single Summer Glass. The track blew me away with its combination of keys and harps achieving this absolutely impossible level of touching beauty. It's also a very bright song sounding almost over-exposed with sunniness in a way that is massively heightened by Julie's breathy singing.

The album keeps this level of quality up as well. Julie's previous album has an instrumental interlude which is fittingly called Interlude. While that track is closer to ambient, its Wings counterpart Summer's End aims for more orchestrated naturalism. It's also followed by Lightning Comes Up From The Ground a track that stuck with me right away the first time I heard it. There's a rumbling that exists underneath the entire track. It feels like a rising and fading tide and the effect is gorgeous.

There are more highlights on the album beyond here. Closing track Death Is The Diamond is a definite boost in quality for the finale. The song does so much with its gentle piano ballad format deploying such compelling echo and reverb. The song feels alive and spacious much in the way her previous record did. Flare is similar with one of the most emotive vocal performances to be found anywhere on The Greater Wings Even though the lyrics are just abstract enough that I'm not 100% about my read on what the song means it could also slip into the tracklist of Happiness.

Hope's Return is sonically cloudy, though I'm not sure the effect works quite as well here. At its best point, the song reminds me of some of the murky cuts from Grouper's album Shade but they never really commit to being THAT abstracted. Conversation Is A Flowstate is easily my least favorite song on the album. It isn't outright bad but I don't find anything compelling about it sonically. 

Another complaint I have about the album is that it can be difficult to pin down Julie as a songwriter. The record often oscillates between being exceedingly down to earth sometimes and being layered in metaphor at others. This means individual moments of songwriting like Hope's Return, Summer Glass, and Death Is The Diamond can be extremely compelling but for vastly different reasons. It did make interpreting some of the work here a bit difficult.

Regardless, The Greater Wings absolutely lives up to the expectations I had for it. Byrne hasn't lost her touch at all in the years since her last album. Her ability as a vocalist is still so elegant and delicate and the instrumentals match perfectly. When the touches of extra swings swell at just the right moment to heighten choruses. Or when it breezes out to set up solemn, spacious expanses that make the soundscapes more dynamic. There's a harmony and gentle beauty the weaves its way throughout this entire album in exactly the way I was hoping. it may be too quiet and too poised for some, but this is exactly what I want from a Julie Byrne album. 8/10

For more singer-songwriter music check out my review of Susanne Sundfor's blomi