Familial

Radiohead drummer Philip Selway’s first solo album is a collection of orchestrated folk that sounds a bit like The Bends-era Radiohead tripped up with British folk kings Nick Drake and John Martyn and modern heroes Mojave 3 and Elliot Smith. Selway’s voice is a purr of mellow desperation as poignant as the late Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse. Wilco’s Glenn Kotche and Patrick Sansone add backing support and multi-instrumentalist Lisa Germano reaches inward for the most soulful of string arrangements. “By Some Miracle” begins things beautifully with a solemn whisper as sweet as Elliot Smith. There’s a muted choir feel within the church-like solemnity of “A Simple Life.” “The Ties That Bind Us” is catchy chamber-folk-pop with a deep sense of longing. “Patron Saint” uses exquisite fingerpicking. “Falling” is the closest piece of Nick Drake appreciation this side of Duncan Sheik. “The Witching Hour” is a gentle lullaby. It’s a shockingly straightforward and emotionally touching album from a guy in one of the world’s most artistically engineered bands.