Paul Ryan – The Divine Sky (Album Review)

When you think of indie music, sometimes the stereotype of warmth and exuberance emerges in my brain. In a genre where authenticity is at the forefront, without the need for eccentricity but much rather, authenticity, you can feel raw emotions and an essence quite unlike any other form of music. Today’s artist we will explore delivers just that, with a mixture of acoustic simplicity and star-studded quality. Meet Paul Ryan.

Paul Ryan is an indie folk musician who emerged from the Midlands in England in early 2022. He performed in his home city of Birmingham before heading to London, where he would consistently play material from his first solo album, The Divine Sky. This exact album is the album that we’ll expand upon in this article.

His warm guitar melodies merged with striking vocals and lyrics, have often led to comparisons with notable names in the folk genre such as Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, Yusuf/Cat Stevens and many more. ‘The Divine Sky’ is a statement of intent, showcasing an ability to transform emotions into music. The general artistic intent behind the album is as such: ‘Dizziest Stars’ sets the tone for the rest of the albums impactful, and atmospheric folk sound, with apparent melancholy & desperation. This is mixed with a flourish of rock/pop songs, ‘Wish Come True’, ‘Pictured for July’ and ‘Danielle’ – each sound like they could very well be plucked from Rubber Soul or Revolver, as Ryan’s vocal arrangements and jangly guitar sounds replicates the catchy Beatles-esque style.

The album ends with the gorgeous guitar picking pattern featured on the dreamy ‘Violet Rays’, a blend of poetry and music, mirroring the title track ‘The Divine Sky’, which has been highly praised for its unique style and lyrical quality. The album commentates on many subjects such as globalisation, totalitarianism, segregation, exploitation and many other themes, marking it as a major release.

I’ll definitely say that this album is like a little gem frozen in time. It’s quite rare to hear anyone make music akin to this genre in this day and age. It has a very aged quality to it, but also ‘fresh’ in a distinct way. His voice definitely has the timbre of folk musicians from the past, with a glide and an earthiness to it. It has a storytelling quality to it, but it also bears similarity to a lot of raw, stripped-down genres. Another interesting quirk of the vocalist’s style is definitely the detail put towards vocal layering in certain tracks, as it definitely helps to give the songs a more holistic feel, echoing the sentiment of the singer even more.

The instrumentation within this album is quite sparse and not too over-the-top, but in mere acoustic instrumentation, it has a very strong edge to it. The guitars are played with an intensity enough to cover the whole soundscape, mixed with the vocals itself. That itself is a power and a strength, as it usually takes multiple layers of instrumentation to convey a message. Then again, this fits the expectations of the genre itself- ostentatiousness is definitely its antithesis.

Otherwise, ‘The Divine Sky’ has a rustic and pure feeling to it. Each song speaks out to the listener like the chapters in a storybook, delivering each carefully cultivated story through its songwriting and blatant ‘naturalistic’ acoustic folk soundscape. It has all the elements of the human touch, defining taking the listener back to the ground, with its earthy intent. In some aspects of its compositional techniques, a lot of the songs sound like the MTV Unplugged version of a lot of Grunge songs, appealing to some tinges of energy and excitation.

However, this album truly lacks musical variability to appeal to audiences that do not solely want to hear a track from a singular thematic perspective. You don’t have to stray too far of your genre to maintain a sense of decorum and honour to your genre, but have aspects that set you apart from your influences. This release does sound like it is ‘too stuck’ in a certain aesthetic and musical time period, without any grounds for innovation.

It has the ability to definitely tug at your heartstrings in certain instances with a little ‘jolt’ of a chorus or pre-chorus here and there, but besides that, it is pretty much a standard and highly predictable release that will definitely tickle the fancy of someone looking for a calm yet unabridged version of folk artistry. For the amount of instruments involved in the release too, it is also decently mastered, so feel free to blast the album with your headphones and enter the world of Paul Ryan.

Score/Good: Paul Ryan graces the world with his raw, rustic and wholesome sound with ‘The Divine Sky’. The album definitely pays homage to tracks within the genre of indie folk music, and serves as a good vessel for anyone who wants a stripped down yet intense soundscape without worrying about the industrial sounds of the synthesizer. Calming and also at times, intriguing.

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