The Road To Nick Drake

I am always on the lookout for music that is soothing to the melancholic soul. On a day back in 2003, I asked a co-worker what she was listening to, she said, Nick Drake. Having never heard his music, I eagerly took the headphones she passed and listened intently. That brief encounter not only opened my mind to a world with Nick Drake but also inspired me in a way as a musician to the point of no return.

As I swiftly worked my way through Drake's short lived discography I gravitated toward Five Leaves Left. Named after a warning found on old cigarette wrapping papers when you were running down to your last five rollies, this album layers droning cellos brooding underneath down-tuned guitars that are played in a way that perplexes even the most accomplished musicians. Heavy on the string section, this album evokes a beauty, grace and intellect way beyond a young man in his early college days.

One of my favorite tracks, Fruit Tree, subtly, yet eerily predicts his own fate and gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it.
Cello Song is another great track on the album. It is also the only decent cover I have heard of a Drake song and has been recorded by The Books featuring José Gonzalez.

You can listen to Cello Song on our Blip playlist here.

Drake never really found any commercial success during his short lived life of 24 years but his music has lived on.

Not to fall under the cliché of an artist's first album as always being the best but, as they say, if the shoe fits.

Brad Laviolette