‘Beloved Ashes’ is the eclectic and unbelievably beautiful debut album courtesy of Berlin-based singer/songwriter Dennis Große-Plankermann, better known as Vava Quail. An eight-track adventure that merges elements of alternative folk with contemporary pop and chamber music, the artist shares some of his most intimate dreams and memories with us. “I went to where I grew up and was suddenly hit by a feeling unknown to me,” he recalls. “Everything seemed familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Memories in every corner, good ones and bad ones”.
‘Sugar’ gets the record up and running in the most tender and emotive way, before the album’s title track is introduced. Four minutes of pure sonic heaven, ‘Beloved Ashes’ showcases just how good and original a musician Dennis is. It’s absolutely exquisite!
‘Calendula’ is a cinematic wonder and possibly the most experimentative piece on the record, with ‘Hold On! I’m On The Sea!’ following in a similarly evocative fashion.
Four more tunes make up the remainder of ‘Beloved Ashes’, and I shall leave you to explore and discover them for yourselves. What I will say is that each is a sonically compelling narrative that deserves your full attention. As far as debut albums go, they don’t get much better than this, and I can’t wait to hear from Vava Quail again soon!
Serious tune alert! Enjoy ‘Beloved Ashes’ on Spotify now:
