Lo-fi fuzz alert! Fans of Sebadoh and Henry's Dress will love Wild Island's (formerly Wild Swimmers) new album which is out now on tape.
Up until the slow-jam of final track Spring, the record is entirely guitar and vocals. Rather than opt for acoustic, the guitar tracks are multi-textured landscapes of pedal affected electric guitar. The result is a kind of half way point between Royal Trux and Neil Young; opening instrumental Sun is the musical equivalent to an ocean scene, with sound effects of waves and gulls layered over a guitar completely drenched in reverb. Later in the album, guitar takes the back seat on the lyrically driven Paint where Mark Knight laments, "I'm writing, 'cause I can't paint".
Which is telling because Be Kind, with its Les-Rallizes-Dénudés-esque splattered feedback and sound effects, is about as close to painting as you can get musically and worth a listen for anyone who's ever wondered what a Pollock canvas would sound like.
Up until the slow-jam of final track Spring, the record is entirely guitar and vocals. Rather than opt for acoustic, the guitar tracks are multi-textured landscapes of pedal affected electric guitar. The result is a kind of half way point between Royal Trux and Neil Young; opening instrumental Sun is the musical equivalent to an ocean scene, with sound effects of waves and gulls layered over a guitar completely drenched in reverb. Later in the album, guitar takes the back seat on the lyrically driven Paint where Mark Knight laments, "I'm writing, 'cause I can't paint".
Which is telling because Be Kind, with its Les-Rallizes-Dénudés-esque splattered feedback and sound effects, is about as close to painting as you can get musically and worth a listen for anyone who's ever wondered what a Pollock canvas would sound like.
Be Kind is available on Tape and Download from DoubleDotDash
