Willis Earl Beal’s latest studio album Noctunes is ostensibly titled so because of its thematic connection to the night. While many albums and songs about nighttime celebrate its fast-paced, anything-can-happen nature, Beal’s take on these hours is one of wistful contemplation, moving at a glacial pace. For an artist whose most interesting moments came during the revelation of his novelesque backstory, Noctunes offers little in the way of a sea-change that should please old fans and endear new to his unforgettable voice, at the very least.
The mythology of Beal is as important as his music. No review can pass without even a slight mention of the ascetic life he lived pre-music and during his ascent, and how it continues to affect his music. Unsurprisingly, even with Noctunes being his most fluid effort yet, there retains a quality of aimless wandering, with the songs emerging out of nowhere, the result of the immediate moments of inspiration. Such is his often-experimental take on soul music, marrying blippy synthesizers with his beautifully detached vocals. But this, as a thematic overview, overlooks the intricacies of many of these fine tracks.
Opener “Under You” is reminiscent of movie score beginnings: light pianos mix with an airy synth to fully encapsulate the nocturnal mood the album aims to exhibit. His voice doesn’t come in until nearly a minute and a half into the instrumental, positioning himself like the protagonist he is: “As I stand here / On the land here / I am under you.” The thought of his lover watches over him, a near-celestial being accompanied by twinkling bells that offer up a perfect nighttime scene. The track, like all on this album, drags its six minutes in a way that ideal nights never seem to end. He fills the song with his spacious voice and little more, relying on his own backing vocals to provide greater engagement than the music itself. It’s a formula found on most of Noctunes’ tracks, and it’s one that works quite well for him.
When sonic shifts occur, however, they also capture soulful nights as well as Beal’s standard sound. The most notable of these ventures, “Like a Box” features techno bass thumps that back the crawling pace of his still-urgent vocals. It’s a strange, off-paced song, and one that captures the dissociative feeling of nighttime in a spacious area perfectly. Ending the song on choral “Ohhhhhh”s and a pulsating hi-hat, this neo-soul trip is one worth taking time and again.
Written as his marriage was ending, the songs have titles that themselves tell a prescient tale of love gone awry: “Lust” turns to “No Solution”, while “Stay” and “Say the Words” tell a tale all their own. Simply put, the forlorn “Lust, why don’t you leave me alone?” comes from an honest place of pain and longing, a casualty of overthinking at night. By the time the album closes with “12 Midnight”, fittingly the twelfth track, a quiet bass has come forth to pull the pacing slightly faster, like the dawn encroaching on a pitch-black sky. “The light, it beckons, so let’s just run,” he implores, and after the slow, bogged-down experience of listening to Noctunes, a morning run is exactly what this album recommends to shake off the sleepiness.
Compared to his previous works, Noctunes is the most complete Willis Earl Beal project yet. His motifs are well-developed throughout, and a sonic palette is offered up without any of the odd missteps of his catalog. Never has his voice shone so brightly as an extraordinary talent, taking hold of the minimalist production and never relenting. The album feels like it takes a whole night to get through, but music like this is made to get you through the night.