‘Hey, the drummer’s making an album!’ Not always words to inspire confidence among fans of a band that a side-project will deliver aural nirvana. Unless the drummer in question is Dave Grohl. For devotees of indie-folk ensemble Bon Iver, there’s now the chance to discover what classically-trained percussionist Sean Carey got up to during downtime from recording and touring. The resulting album, ‘All We Grow’, languorous and piano-led with layers of multi-tracked vocals, sounds as wintry as the origins of Bon Iver’s name. There are soundscapes here that are not dissimilar to some of Mercury Rev’s more somnolent work – and that, in Bowlegs’ view, is a good thing.

The vocals, pianos and very occasional smattering of percussion – in no way could you accuse Carey of letting his day job dominate his solo debut – sound as if they are coming to the surface from within a deep hibernation. The neat, brisk arpeggios and handclaps on ‘In the Dirt’ and acoustic guitar on ‘Mothers’ up the tempo briefly and threaten to rouse the listener from daydreaming, but breathy, meditative vocals ensure the spell is maintained. ‘In The Stream’ is the loveliest thing on the album – ‘I am wind in the pines/ I am a line/ You can’t define’ intones Carey over a simple piano motif – before strings and female backing vocals arrive in the mix to back him up, like ghosts. ‘All We Grow’ is not an album that Bon Iver fans will appreciate if they are looking for more of the same – but if you’re searching for something that could provide the musical backdrop to being snowed in, in a cabin in the woods as night falls, this could be it. Music to light candles by. BH