Yawning Sons & WaterWays

Split EP

Written by: DR on 24/08/2011 13:22:14

Having absolutely no idea what 'desert-rock' is, the Yawning Sons and WaterWays split EP was a good chance for me to get acquainted with the genre and the bands in question. But first a little history of both acts. Yawning Sons is a collaboration of the US band Yawning Man and UK instrumentalists Sons of Alpha Centauri; WaterWays is three desert-rock 'forefathers', including Gary Arce from Yawning Sons and Mario Lalli from Fatson Jetson.

Despite only being three songs are eleven minutes long, this EP offers a slither of what both bands are good at. What that is, is a weird approach to constructing progressive/psychedelic soundscapes by focusing on the sum of all the instruments, rather than having the guitars lead the way whilst the other elements merely add texture. This goes for both bands because of how similar they sound, so much so that it's hard to tell one band from the next - not that you really care, nor does it really matter. And, If anything, the guitars are somewhat relegated the background, especially in the Yawning Sons' drum-centred "Garden Sessions I" and WaterWays' "Memorial Patterns". Moreover, those two songs are the pick of the three. The latter uses smooth stoner rock-esque vocals to help build on the airiness of it, while the former is fascinating for the sheer manner in which it builds the song around the drumming, merely using minimalistic and simple guitar-work to build tension.

In conclusion, this split serves as a good introduction to both acts. Both acts are clearly comprised of experienced and skilled musicians who adopt a unique approach to writing music, and, because of its short run-time, it's something you might as well check out. The only 'problem' with it is that it's only eleven minutes long, but then I guess it achieves what it sets out to: leaving the listener - this one in particular - wanting more.

7

Download: Garden Sessions I, Memorial Patterns
For The Fans of: Yawning Sons, WaterWays, Yawning Man
Listen: Yawning Sons Myspace
Listen: WaterWays Myspace

Release Date January 2011
Space Age & Cheesecake

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