Five Leaves Left (studio album) by Nick Drake

From Rug 02/20/2022 07:03

The story goes that Nick Drake's understated, intimate lyricism was a product of his being "too sensitive for this world," a remark that diminishes his skill and commitment to revision by reducing them to an emotional quirk. Nick had "a skin too few" maybe, as Gabrielle Drake would say, but hardly a superpower or malignant brand of genius.

Five Leaves Left is his best album by a hair, and that hair grows on a little patch of versatility. While Pink Moon and Bryter Layter are masterpieces in their own right (and both would find spots on my chart if it weren't for my 1 album per artist rule), Five Leaves Left is more emotionally flexible. "Time Has Told Me" could be either your mother whispering the opening notes of a lullaby or your lover murmuring a gentle good morning. It's the balm you reach for to soothe or the champagne you sip to celebrate.

Five Leaves Left is both a respite from the harshness of the world and an exploration of the thousands of beauties you might find in it, and that duality only happens through Nick Drake's willingness to speak as carefully as he listens.

I much prefer the atmosphere of Bryter Layter but this one has good one too. Not necessarily my thing, but I can appreciate unique arrangement of River Man and a lot of other tracks here.

I came to this way later than the rest of Drake's material, and that's both a blessing and a curse. While I can appreciate the musicality and sonic decisions, there is better material out there in my opinion.

From teague 09/18/2021 17:18

Reminds me of Buffalo Springfield in parts. His voice is really soothing, and the instrumentation is great. I just wish it were a little less busy sometimes.

lovely, mature, strong leaning toward folk as it visits both pop and psychedelia, a gem

What a beautiful, but sad, album. Loved it immediately after the first time I listened it.

Si lo escuchas una vez, irás por tu segunda...

From arturguerra 09/10/2020 22:05

I absolutely love this album

I knew nothing about Nick Drake when I first put this on. I didn't even know what genre it would be or when it was made.

It blew my mind. It blew my mind further when I saw it was made in 1969, and not in the early 2000s.

Sadly the more you learn about Nick, the harder it can become to listen.. as the emptiness he felt inside becomes more audible in his songs. One of the saddest losses in music, caused by a lack of support for mental health and the failure of a record label to look after it's musicians.

But anyway, it's a great album by a great songwriter.

One of the greatest collections of songs I've ever heard. Drake's gentle, soothing voice weaves through his intricate guitar lines with sheer beauty. I can't pick out highlights, because the whole album is.