This album starts off with “The Dream”, and we’re only seconds in but I’m already getting some chills. Vocalist Molly Hamilton sounds absolutely incredible and is right back to sounding like she belongs more in a Mazzy Star cover band than anything. I love the dreaminess to this, which makes the slide guitars and the sort of glistening atmospheres even bigger and bolder. “The Dream” is exactly what I’ve been looking to hear from Widowspeak since their debut album years ago. There’s a sort of retro tinge to the very grand strings, but most importantly there’s the sense of mystery to this that I’ve been dying to hear. It’s just so hip, and it has such a mystique to it that I just want to listen to this another few times. It’s the very lush, epic intro that I’ve been dying to hear, and it really caught me off guard. “When I Tried” on the other hand, is certainly much more up front and immediately gratifying. Gone is the mystique of the last track, but the same guitar centered Indie Rock dominates this one wonderfully. However, I should say while the atmosphere is less mysterious, Molly Hamilton’s very airy and dark vocals keep the very shady veil drawn over this one. I actually also really love Molly’s sort of breathy vocals, which I know right off the bat people are going to have some serious issues with. But I’m all for it, and to a certain extent, I can almost see some Lana Del Rey fans being into this. I feel like Widowspeak have once again done a complete 180 with “When I Tried”. It’s a smooth transition though, and I have to commend the many layers of the production here, giving this the feel that there’s a secret behind every corner. As this album goes on though, I feel like Widowspeak gets more and more mysterious. But it’s exciting to me, it makes me feel like I never know what I’m going to hear. “Dog” shows Widowspeak being a little less up front once again. But behind these very hazy guitars and walls of reverb, Molly sounds completely in control. While there’s certainly a great darkness to a lot of this album, there’s also a great deal of beauty. I love how hypnotic some of the vocals come off, it makes me feel like I’m watching some great band perform at the Roadhouse on Twin Peaks. But like I said, I never know what to expect from Widowspeak. For example, those small saxophone blasts during the chorus of “Dog” are brilliant. So far, this has been the sort of Dark tinged, hazy indie album I’ve wanted to hear.
“Warmer” may be the slowest track yet by far. But it quickly becomes one of the most animated of the entire album with some sleazy saxophones, bongos and mysterious guitar. If you want a track with an amazing atmosphere, look no further than “Warmer”. I love Molly’s surreal lyrics and performance here, as she constantly states “The answer is right in plain sight”. But at this point, I have to ask, where is this album even coming from? Widowspeak drifted so far away from this sound only to come back hard and make it more grand and lush than ever. “Warmer” also has unbelievable pacing to it, as the instrumentals come together for a surreal groove that I haven’t heard from any other band this year. It’s flooring to be honest. Widowspeak does, however, have to be careful with some of these softer tunes. “Good Sport” is really short obviously, and sadly nothing really happens with it. There are cool elements returning like the bongos and the very delicate guitar, and I love Molly’s very chilling performance and lyrics. However, I just feel like “Good Sport” is massively incomplete. This easily could have picked up into a much grander tune. And it’s not that I don’t like short songs, but “Good Sport” just seems grossly incomplete. On the other hand, “Let Me” is the sort of scratchy and shady sounding Dream Pop tune that I’ve been loving. I love the way this one has so much build up within its verses, and that very retro tinged guitar is a really nice touch as well. Not to mention, it’s really nice to see this build up pay off, as this chorus may not be as gigantic as others, but is incredibly stunning in its own way. “Let Me” also proves something I realized long ago. While this may not be as secluded sounding as some of the earlier tunes, the amount of mystery remains gigantic. There’s also almost a weird Singer/Songwriter vibe to some of Molly Hamilton’s performance. Widowspeak continues to be a real box of surprises.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_8ZHZ85pKE
Now, just when I’m done saying that there’s no telling or knowing what Widowspeak are going to throw at us, “Right On” serves up some serious blues flavor to it. And let’s be honest, we probably should have seen that coming with all of these slide guitars. Plus, that solo is just something that I really didn’t expect to hear. Sadly though, this is easily one of Molly Hamilton’s most tame and not nearly as moody performances. And that really sort of takes the wind out of “Right On”. It’s still decent, mostly due to the added strings and the production, but this track could have been so much better. Then we have “Expect The Best” which is a strangely crunchy and heavy track. But for me, I don’t think it comes off nearly as interesting. There’s no mystique to this, and I feel like hearing Molly outside of her usual shroud of shadows that she’s been clinging to here isn’t nearly as interesting. The hooks are sort of lazy as well. Hell, even the instrumentals on “Expect The Best” just seem like they’re not even into what the band is doing. I really wanted to like this track, but there’s just too much that I’m not feeling. This album ends off with “Fly On The Wall”, and hearing that opening drum roll, I have high hopes for this one. Plus, the very hazy elements that have dominated this album are back in full effect. As far as the atmosphere goes, this one is spot on. But overall, I feel like this one just really isn’t that interesting overall. There’s so much atmosphere to go around here, and I do love Molly’s performance. But there’s nothing else for me to really sink my teeth into on “Fly On The Wall”. I do like some of the later guitars, but this one just seems so thrown together to me. Not to mention, every time I feel like something is going to happen on “Fly On The Wall”, nothing ends up happening. And when things do start exploding in the closing moments, it’s just far too late. I do see the potential in “Fly on the Wall” though, and this is still a good album overall. But Widowspeak really had issues with stringing the later moments of this album together.
Rating: 7.4/10
Give A Listen To: “When I Tried”, “Dog”, “Warmer”, “Let Me In”
Genre: Indie Rock / Dream Pop / Shoegaze / Psychedelic Rock
If You Dig This, Check Out: “So Tonight That I Might See” - Mazzy Star, “Lana Del Rey - “Born To Die”, “Widowspeak” - Widowspeak, Cigarettes After Sex - “Cigarettes After Sex”
Overall Thoughts: I was surprised, to be honest by just how strong this album started off. I mean, the entire first half of this album is a stunning, hazy modern Shoegaze masterpiece. However, Widowspeak really fell off in the second half of this with some experiments that didn't really work out the best they could have. But this is still certainly worth a listen, and it shows Widowspeak are moving strongly in the right direction.
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