Nick Drake - Pink Moon

Nick Drake's is one of the many sad stories from the world of music. He was signed by a record company when he was just 20, released three albums, went into seclusion, and then died from overdosing on antidepressants, a death which was officially ruled a suicide. His music was well received by those who actually heard it, but partially due to his refusal to perform live or really do anything publicly, it never really sold well until many years later when the title track from this, his final album appeared in a car commercial. I instantly recognized it once the vocals started up, although I can't say whether it's the commercial or just hearing it on the radio. In any case, it's the beginning of one of the best folk albums I've heard in my limited experience, and certainly still worth listening today.

Except for a bit of piano on "Pink Moon", the entire recording is just a half hour of Nick with his voice and a guitar. It's apparently easily his sparsest release, but I found myself nevertheless enjoying what he was able to do with such a limited range of sounds. He plucks and strums his way through eleven similar but distinct enough songs, many of which portray all too vividly the personal issues and depression that likely led to his early death. There's "Place To Be" in which he already seems morose over his long gone youth at the ripe old age of 24. And then there's "Which Will", where he seems to ask a woman who she'll love if not him. And who can forget "Parasite", a title that conjures an image of a despicable, loathsome pest and is in reference to Nick himself. And despite all this self negativity, there's a simple beauty to the music itself that somehow makes the whole thing even more depressing. It's not the most interesting album I've ever heard, but it's one of the most emotionally affecting, and definitely worth a visit for anyone interested in the genre.