Hard to stomach this may be, but the next few years will be littered with the passings of music legends. David Bowie, Prince, and Leonard Cohen in one year was more than enough for the heart to take. We are facing the final years of having these artists like Bob Dylan, like Paul McCartney, with us and creating. What the passing of Marianne Faithfull meant was another shock to the system, another realisation that there is a finite well for musicians to draw new work from, no matter the quality. Burning Moonlight, four songs from Faithfull worked on during the last year of her life, are the final touches of a talented artist. A Secret Life remains one of the finest albums around, and more from the veteran of the studio is always a pleasure. Burning Moonlight is, that much is clear.
Those acoustic charms which open this four-track EP will make you sick to your stomach. Those matter-of-fact moments, the charming, hoarse vocal delivery from Faithfull, is a staggering achievement. Every artist wishes for their last piece to hit the highs of their beloved period, and Faithfull does that. She had done it time and again, but this four-track release is a stunning achievement. Songs of reflection often find themselves dealing with what could have been, not what happened. Burning Moonlight is filled with charming adaptations to the here and now, but Faithfull, thankfully, sounds satisfied with what she has accomplished. Love Is finds Faithfull in a surprisingly optimistic moment, a tremendous instrumental selection backing those moments. A powerful occasion for Faithfull on Love Is, a moment where she dissects what we expect of love, and what it truly provides. There is truth, as ever, in her wordplay. Part of the charm is the instrumental accompaniment, those gliding strings and the slight, upbeat tone.
Luck plays its part, too. Burning Moonlight hearse Faithfull thanks not the individual or her actions but the unmentioned third party, the unknowable range of chance. Three Kinsmen Bold and She Moved Thru the Fair are stripped-back moments of celebration for the voice Faithfull had. Four songs which tie together what love means, what it can do, and how it needs protecting. Reflection is one route to that, but Faithfull gives it a charming spin, a new twist on what life can throw at you. Burning Moonlight is a brilliant posthumous release. Songs where everything is laid out with an honesty, a burdenless openness to reconnecting with what love is as a fundamental feeling, stripped of its commercial use.
What Burning Moonlight proves is the longevity, the talent, Faithfull had in the latter days of her career. Those very best moments are not always placed in the spotlight, though these seemingly final four songs from the Losing songwriter are some of her best. Burning Moonlight has a delicate layer because of Faithfull’s passing. Alive or dead, these are excellent songs worth hearing. Moments of isolation, pieces of music which back Faithfull and her charming read on the world, these four songs are some of the best tracks she worked on. There is an intimacy to them, a refreshing sense of being invited into her mind to see what troubles her, what she has made her peace with, too. That balance is found brilliantly.
Discover more from Cult Following
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
