After a four-decade hiatus, London singer-songwriter Bill Fay has released two albums of alternative gospel in the past three years. The music is lovely, warm, and unhurried to the point that I feel okay calling this slowcore. Lots of strings, organ, piano, and soft background singing. The subdued emotional heaviness of this album is overshadowed only by the profound kindness of Fay’s outlook. There’s an overwhelming concern about the often-tragic nature of life on display here, but the music isn’t preachy. It has the same kind of half-faded, richly emotive desperation as Spiritualized. (No surprise J. Spaceman makes a subtle guest appearance here.) I imagine if Spaceman makes it to 70 his music might sound like this. The sentimentality of this music will likely make heartless legions scoff. Their loss. Favorites: 2, 4, 7, 10, 11. No FCCs.

1. (2:58)—Mournful, simple, with bagpipes.
2. *(4:12)—Dreamy waltz, with soaring vocal harmonies. We’re all complicit in feeding the war machine.
3. (6:03)—Repetitive, builds slowly, starts driving in the second half, ends with growling guitar “It’s all so deep.”
4. *(5:39)—Really, really sad. Trying to make sense of a world that can hold both cherry trees and trains of uranium.
5. (3:12)—Major key but still slow and melancholy. Frillier strings.
6. (3:38)—More upbeat and optimistic, a call for change.
7. *(4:56)—Swelling, dramatic, string-driven song of gratitude.
8. (4:12)—Story song, about a man executed for heresy in the 16th century.
9. (3:52)—Another optimistic one. Strong gospel feel.
10. *(3:11)—Really nice, simple, hopeful, pretty.
11. *(4:29)—Calm, spine chilling, soothing, restful.
12. (5:02)—Spoken word intro. Majestic, triumphant, with keening strings.
13. (3:32)—Anthemic, 70s singer-songwriter gospel-folk feel.