Adem's Love and Other Planets brings a new twist to the contemporary folk artist's forte. Just as the name suggests, the album explores what it means to not only exist in outer space, but also in the myriad of spaces all around us. Yet even with the unconventional underlying concept, Adem doesn't let the album become a voyage into an altered state of consciousness.
Despite Love and Other Planets' subject matter, British folk singer Adam Ilhan was careful not to take the album in a retro, science fiction direction, instead paying careful attention to create an emotional and insightful end product, on his sophomore album.
Adem's commitment to creating something human shows through on more than one occasion. By using a multitude of simple instruments, such as the xylophone and even incorporating clapping into the percussion, Adem creates an album that explores all forms of his musical aptitude. In "Launch Yourself," Adem lets hand-driven beats lead the rhythm, while what sounds like a contemporary tribal quartet carries the melody in a harmonious collision of music and human emotion.
Along with this exploration of musical versatility comes Adem's exploration into the entire song-making process. By drawing on the power of silence, and making each guitar note hang by a fingernail, Adem emphasizes the idea of space, and adequate spacing, throughout the album.
However simple and musically amazing Adem's music-syncing abilities are, his use of metaphors is even more impressive. In the title track "Love and Other Planets," Adem uses his subversive, emotionally packed voice to pronounce that by looking at the light of the stars you can make out life on other planets. Upon saying this, the person he is holding declares that the two of them should create their own light, in order to prove the existence of their lives and their love.
Adem's second album helps him to stray from the homey feeling of his first album, Homesongs, by delving into areas he had not touched in his debut album. In the song "Warning Call," Adem poses the question, "If we were to receive a message from a higher being/ of how we're ruining the only planet upon which we can live/ would we be willing to change?" Adem yet again gives cause for more introspection, leaving the listener to consider the short-mindedness of the world today.
Adem seems to revel in emotionally packed puzzles, which entreat fans to discern whether or not his claims are valid. In "These Lights Are Meaningful," Adem explores loneliness as a dimension of space. Strewn with sincerity, the musician proclaims how he is irreversibly convinced that we all have a reason for living, and the notion that each life is never truly lived alone. The song reaches climax when Adem finally realizes that everything he says may be wrong. After this declaration of mortality, and the burden of unwanted knowledge, Adem announces his need to feel as though he is not alone. For, even though he is convinced he is not alone, the conviction alone cannot sate his hunger for the feelings of love and human interaction.
With his emotionally inquisitive lyrics and beautifully simplistic melodies, Adem has created an album worth much acclaim. The singer broadens his musical domain by shifting from his usual heartfelt folk music, to a heartfelt exploration of musical ingenuity and lyrical significance. While sticking to his roots, Adem has taken an album-spanning theme and proved that space truly is the final frontier.
Grade: 4 out of 5
