Wolf People

Fain

Written by: BV on 14/08/2013 15:02:54

The English progressive rock outfit Wolf People are back with their sophomore effort “Fain” in an attempt to follow up on their debut album, 2010’s “Steeple”. This foursome plays the kind of progressive tunes that incorporate medieval themes, playful nods in the general direction of early British psych and odd, somewhat complex song structures. – The latter being a traditional staple in progressive rock at this point.

With album opener “Empty Vessels” the eerie guitar parts are constructed around a haunting pillar of repetition enabling the continuing onslaught of guitar solo’s tinged with the usage of middle eastern themes as well as some melody lines that sound like something nicked directly from the late 60’s and early 70’s progressive scene. The vocal work is, to my ears, relatively interesting at this point despite never reaching the highs of a truly talented vocalist. Nonetheless the melancholic yet fast-paced melody lines account for quite a large part of the track’s mood and could therefore be accredited as being one of the factors that ensures its apparent success despite the fact that Wolf People seem to be wandering around somewhere in between a fond memory of a time long passed and their own warped interpretation of it.

Continuing on with “Athol”, the genre-mix seems to blend in a bit of funk to this already grandiose cauldron of influences. This time however, the mix seems relatively unsuccessful as the attempt at incorporating a slightly funky groove never really takes off, instead dragging down a somewhat interesting vocal performance and what seems to be an interesting lyrical theme. Amends are soon made however, as the mellower “Hesperus” follows. This eclectic and really easy-going track sounds remarkably British to me (in no disrespect whatsoever) as the production, as well as the track in general, reeks of the world-famous sound of England in the late 60’s. That slightly lo-fi, yet remarkably pristine quality it possesses and the legendary bands notable for utilizing that particular sound is by no means a bad thing to be compared to. As the highly melodic guitar solo appears, backed by a strong set of backing vocals these qualities are engorged further, leaving me to dub this track my favorite on this particular album.

As the album closes with the fuzz-rocker “NRR”, the mood is slightly less melancholic instead seeing the band opting for a bombastic closer in a final effort to remain in the subconscious of the listener – to mixed results, that is. Even though the feedback-laden high-tempo rocker is certainly interesting, it does seem to disturb the general flow of the album a bit, coming off relatively misplaced and awkward. – Despite some really fine guitar-work, that is.

All in all I’d dub my experience with Wolf People interesting, but nothing truly special. I might return to the album at a later point as I think this is one of those albums that will inevitably grow on you. But after 10+ listens I just don’t feel like I have the time to let it grow further at the moment. It’s a solid sophomore effort from Wolf People nonetheless though.

7

Download: Empty Vessels, Hesperus
For The Fans Of: Rose Windows, Postures, Kama Loka
Listen: facebook.com

Release Date 30.04.2013
Jagjaguwar


Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.