In a grizzled expression of gratitude, the first words Alabaster DePlume sings on A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole are “Thank you, my pain”. The utterance slithers from his lips to pin down the slow, skittish drum beat and muffled breaths of saxophone it accompanies. His voice is so withered that, in the first half of the song, you might think that DePlume’s thanks are disingenuous. But the way his voice becomes lighter, almost ethereal as it fuses with the tenor of his saxophone in the song’s bloom, it becomes clear that DePlume’s appreciation is real.
The Mancunian musician’s latest work is the sound of healing, of confronting life’s pains rather than running from them. Of finding dignity and sovereignty. In an acknowledgment of the privacy of his pursuit, DePlume composed, arranged and recorded each of the songs on A Blade. The result of a departure from his usual method of siphoning off the best parts of long improvised sessions, is a meticulous, focused record.
To DePlume, healing is a deliberate act. It is something that you do, not something that merely happens. To heal, DePlume read, wrote and practiced jiu-jitsu. Two songs reference the martial art that DePlume has made part of his routine. ‘Form a V’ refers to the practice of an entire dojo attacking a lone individual. Over a sparse rumble of bass, drum clicks and fitful bursts of saxophone, DePlume lets the entire world know he is ready for its challenge. ‘Kuzushi’, a term for breaking an opponent’s balance, is lodged in an instrumental middle section of the record where DePlume’s saxophone becomes all conquering. With no lyrics to obscure it from view, it grows human-like features, sounding like an inner monologue on ‘Kuzushi’, a comforting presence on ‘Who Are You Telling, Gus’ and delirious over the futuristic whirs of ‘Salty Road Dogs Victory Anthem’. On the hypnotic ‘Prayer For My Sovereign Dignity’ the peals of saxophone grow more triumphant with every turn they take around Macie Stewart’s strings.
The album’s concept was handed to DePlume in the form of a common response to a question he would ask of fans, colleagues and collaborators. When he posed to them “What do people need?”, they would reply “Healing. People need healing.” While much of A Blade concerns DePlume’s own efforts to heal himself, ‘Prayer for my Sovereign Dignity’ and ‘Invincibility’ could jolt the listener into a healing state. In a counterintuitive way, the latter song’s finger-picked guitar, angelic backing vocals and swaying bursts of strings call to mind the fragility of life. It is with a coaxing hum that DePlume provides this subtle injection of urgency, as he reassures us that “Everybody knows how to cry.”
