{"product_id":"mount-qaf-divine-love","title":"Mount Qaf (Divine Love)","description":"The follow-up to his 2014 solo debut, Liberation!, Mount Qaf (Divine Love) presents a set of broadly defined love songs by Walkmen bassist\/keyboardist Peter Matthew Bauer. Far from saccharine or pining, the songs tend toward the cerebral, sometimes taking a world view more than a romantic one. Still, he maintains an encouraging tone that permeates the album's loose, clattering guitar rock. Opener \"Wild Light\" sets a brisk pace out of the gate, gradually building to a swirl of shimmering guitars, insistent stomp-along percussion, and even melodic group chanting. As often has proven to be the case in Bauer creations, the lyrics reveal an anxiety somewhat at odds with the music's free-spiritedness, as he sings about people being attracted to a spiraling chaos. Although, \"It makes no difference\/It keeps my spirits high.\" The more austere \"Divine Love to Kill Fascism\" passes a keyboard-based arrangement through a prism of distortion before it snaps into focus midway through with acoustic guitar and lucid -- at least in the sense of recording quality -- vocals. Having said that, Bauer's delivery can be uncannily reminiscent of Tom Petty's agreeable mumble. However unintentional (Bauer refers more often to philosophers than musicians when pressed for influences), it's a characteristic that suits his music's similarly vibrant jangle. His performance on \"Will You Still Speak of Love\" may showcase this best, mixing passion and frustration (\"I'm not singing\/I'm calling to your soul\"). Ultimately, while it takes on big-picture perspectives and complicated emotions, Mount Qaf is a feel-good release whose hooks and invigorating spirit may be its most powerful takeaway. ~ Marcy Donelson","brand":"InnerSleeve","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41956222140581,"sku":"614511848527","price":23.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/6007\/1077\/files\/79ee50fe9e9f62b49820b00ba6412d0f_8875f492-d6e8-48a1-b9f5-50fa3a0620cb.jpg?v=1778937570","url":"https:\/\/www.innersleeve.com\/en-gb\/products\/mount-qaf-divine-love","provider":"InnerSleeve","version":"1.0","type":"link"}