David Holmes - The Holy Pictures (Mercury)
A SCULPTOR in sound, that's what David Holmes is.
His careful way of carving the same old mundane sonic raw materials imbues his work with a sense of meaning and drama, from the shimmering, gently modulating guitars of Story Of The Ink to the throb of fizzy electronica which drives Love Reign Over Me.
It is this skill for creating drama which qualified Holmes to create the soundtrack for Steven Soderbergh's Out Of Sight and all three Oceans movies, 11, 12 and 13.
And, when Holmes' 2000 album Bow Down To the Exit Sign was billed as the soundtrack to a movie not yet made, it somehow did not seem like a quote fit for Pseuds' Corner.
The Holy Pictures began as an idea to work with a fusion of different musical styles - a pretty cerebral exercise - but then it got personal.
Holmes found himself, with the death of his father last year and memories of his mother passing on in 1996, caught at that "what's it all about?" moment in life, contemplating his upbringing in Belfast, where he had come from and where he was going.
He does not batter us over the head with these big questions, but even the instrumental tracks here have a sense of purpose, juggling influences from The Velvet Underground to Daniel Lanois.
With the personal nature of the work, Holmes did the vocals himself, instead of peopling the album with the usual posse of guest artists.
The result is an engaging and affecting collection of well-turned songs.
Released on September 8
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Reviewed: Thu, 04 September, 2008
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