Bella Union chose the perfect time of year to release Peter Von Poehl’s Going To Where The Tea Trees Are. The albums autumnal atmosphere and chilly landscape is the perfect soundtrack for the longer days and colder weather. Peter is a new artist to the Bella Union roster, though he’s been making waves since the title track became a huge hit in France in 2006, and he has since been helped along both by bloggers and good old-fashioned word of mouth.

The album opens with the title track, a journey through self-awareness and self-doubt: “So I will go to where the tea trees are/Climbing over question marks, need to straighten some out/Take them off my shoulder, put some space between”. It’s simply a beautiful song, the vocals and guitars are somewhat understated, with percussion in the forefront. The saxophone is introduced toward the latter half of the track, giving us the first taste of the heavily used horn section. It’s largely the muted feel of the album that contributes to the rather “wintry” aura. “Tooth Fairy” contains an interlude of chorale-like singers that are reminiscent of a Christmas hymn. “A Broken Skeleton Key”, with its jumpy melody, short horn bursts and tinkling piano, conjures images of a spooky Halloween night. The lyrics don’t hurt either: “Despite all logic, black magic, and evil tricks/Maybe the reason is that inside of me/I’ve been carrying a broken skeleton key”.

“The Story Of The Impossible”, perhaps the loveliest track on the album, showcases light finger-picking on the guitar, an impressive range for Peter’s already high-octave voice, and still more splendid lyrics: “Whatever happened to the great escape/And all the plans we make/Crafted with pride by monsters on the train/The world is great to suckers”. The final track, “The Bell Tolls Five”, kicks off with a synth beat and a snare drum roll suggestive of the military; Peter’s ethereal vocals join in, and before long the horns enter, casting an ominous shadow. The song swells into a restrained whirlwind of sound before returning to the nakedness in which it began.

Going To Where The Tea Trees Are is a lesson in orchestration, instrumentation, clever – though often cryptic – lyrics, and charm. Peter has asserted himself as a gifted composer; most songs feature several horns and or/string instruments, and the compositions are very involved and deliberate. Between the densely layered music and the thoughtful lyrics, this is definitely an album worthy of repeated listens, and one that will undoubtedly garner Peter well-deserved acclaim.
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Links
Peter Von Poehl [official site] [myspace]
Bella Union [official site] [competition]