Saintly inspiration from Chris Cleverley brings a classic tone to his Christmas track. The first of his career but the consistencies found on In the Shadow of John the Divine lend themselves to a man with formidable scope not just for the festive genre but for how themed music can have value and depth to it beyond celebrations of religious intent. Cleverley has blurred this line before on previous album Broadcast the Secret Verse and now, with his first piece of new music since that charming debut, he looks set to do it again. His sound and skill for the intertextuality of saints and reappraisals of their lives, what we can learn from them, is magnificent. It all comes to life on In the Shadow of John the Divine, as genuine an EP as it gets.
Folk wonders are key to this. In the Shadow of John the Divine benefits tremendously from those tender acoustic duties, the slide style and finger-plucking of opener The Ringing of Bells hold a folklore-like momentum to them. The sort of charm and influence reading those tales of old has on us, on the stories which we were brought up on and then influenced by. Softer joys are maintained by follow-up song For a Winter Angel. Cleverley successfully taps into the real joys of the genre. Either take the route of a jazz traditional and crooner blur or feel for the classy acoustics and country-like melodies which rely on sharp wordplay and the turmoil of a modern Christmas. In the Shadow of John the Divine seeks enlightenment and reassurance in the face of the sad decline, as noted so beautifully on For a Winter Angel. Tones of hellfire and the desire to take it slow are all features of this Cleverley release, which manages to keep the EP swinging well.
The Manhattan Cathedral has certainly influenced In the Shadow of John the Divine. Most of that can be gauged on Vespers, a song which maintains those soft acoustic beauties, the softer-spoken vocals at the heart of it. But it is not just a series of gentle and ethereal noises from Cleverley, who shows he is not afraid to add those heavier percussion edges to his project. These are crucial moments that have In the Shadow of John the Divine line up with the best at work in the art-pop genre. Flickers of a masterclass come through this release from Cleverley, a confident approach despite all those anxious-sounding vocal deliveries. They add a real charm and fundamental relatability to songs of building yourself up.
Plucky yet soft pieces like Snowfall, My Evergeen are all part of the Christmas charm. Fleeting charms of the most wonderful time of the year are broken down and rebuilt for the sake of finding new, ambitious tones. Cleverley is a tremendous guide through these softer tones, evidenced well on EP closer Sister Winter. These are the charms of a genre which lends itself to seasonal interpretation. Moments like this are great examples of how those folk-adjacent tones can be adapted, and how they can thrive in festive environments. It is no surprise that softer spoken styles are a great addition to Christmas music, but In the Shadow of John the Divine feels more adjacent to the most wonderful time of the year, and more involved in the fundamentals of the belief and familial qualities which come from Christmas.
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