Keaton Henson has shared his captivating new album, Monument. The record is released today via Play It Again Sam alongside a video for the new single, Ambulance.
The notoriously insular and private British musician has created a singularly intimate window into the recent years of his life with a record that circles personal upset; an honest portrayal of losing his father to a long-term illness. Whilst not a record focusing solely on the experience, it is a vivid snapshot of the recent years of Henson’s life, its highs and lows, viewed through the prism of grief. In his hushed tone, that genteel, cracked vocal appears through the considered, melodic backing that has made Keaton such a compelling and evocative artist. And whilst it’s all steeped in melancholy, Monument is a record that can strangely uplift spirits and is arguably Keaton’s most rewarding to date.
Highlighting Ambulance as a stand-out as the record’s single, Keaton explains: "Ambulance is an entertainer’s cry for help, mistaken for a pop song, and applauded instead of aided. Being an artist is a great honour, but sometimes it can feel like you’re having a seizure and being mistaken for dancing."
It is accompanied by a video directed by Keaton, in the nostalgic style of a 70s children’s tv show. All told through marionette puppets, we see a character, perhaps representing Henson’s aforementioned desperate entertainer, slowly falling apart, while the camera lingers, and the bright colours remain around him
Deserving of the praise Keaton’s enjoyed throughout his career to date, he is an artist who refuses to succumb to the pressures and expectations of self-promotion in 2020 with little to no social media presence, and rarely giving media interviews either. For such a tact, the music needs to do all the talking for you and crucially. Monument does that beautifully.
VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE, AMBULANCE