Most can agree that, since the world shut down in March, time hasn’t really felt real. Though many have been fighting to move past that stasis, Christian Howse has chosen to harness it for his latest album, Liminal.
The project was begun months before the COVID-19 pandemic but turned out to be a very apt theme for the times. Liminal — defined as an intermediate state, phase, or condition, in-between, transitional — tells stories of life, and of people in that place of transition. These are themes that are easy to sink teeth into during a normal year, but it becomes especially fitting during a year like this.
Launching on the heels of his critically acclaimed recording, Letters, Christian Howse brings a full band sound and a mainstream approach to his follow-up project, Liminal. While Christian handles the vocals and acoustic guitars, the track also features stellar work by Nick Earle on electric guitar and Dan George on percussion.
While Christian Howse’s previous projects can be described as a cross between Donovan Woods and Daniel Champagne, the new release, Liminal, takes an edgier approach, and sets Christian firmly in the role of songwriter and social observer.
“The songs are exceptional and Christian delivers them with an earnest and quirky appeal” says Dean Stairs, producer for the Liminal project.
Said quirkiness is a major part of the charm of this album. The celestial workings in “In Another Life” make the longing Howse is singing about feel grander than the galaxy. Meanwhile, “Bite Me” wouldn’t sound out of place drifting out the back of a bead-laden caravan. These small touches elevate the songs to the realm of surrealism, but the experiences held within are rooted in reality.
“Stress Dreams”, for example, is a musical snowball of Howse’s various anxieties, from social shortcomings to the futility of personal politics. It’s a sense of hesitation and self-doubt that Howse pauses on more than once on the album, but it’s not a note he chooses to end on. “Rain” is a peaceful epilogue, punctuated by windchimes and the sounds of nature.
“Some stand in the rain, while the others get wet. We could use some loving for a change,” Howse sings, while birds chirp blissfully in the background over the fall of rain. It’s the most lush soundscape on the album, and a hopeful message to walk away with.