Widowspeak

Widowspeak has a very classic 90's-esque shoegaze sound. It reminds me of Mazzy Star's first album, jangly and vaguely psychedelic. "Nightcrawlers" has that quiet but noisy sounds down. I just love it.

Those approaching this album for the first time will need to quickly get over the obvious similarity between the voice of lead vocalist Molly Hamilton and Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval. That in itself is not a bad thing since Ms Sandoval had a ghostly vocal full of lush timbre but with enough haunting moodiness to inhabit every song she performed. Widowspeak take this template and infuse it with the preoccupations of Chris Issak, Velvet Underground and Beach house to create a very nice mix of influences. Along with the lovely Hamilton are fellow New York based band members Michael Stasiak and guitarist Robert Earl Thomas. In this excellent debut album jam packed with all sorts of 50's influences and a little bit of spaghetti western soundtracks they have captured a mood which Chris Issak patented via Roy Orbison on the haunting "Wicked Game" Lucky then that Widowspeak have covered the same song and done it full justice. While its not included here any one with a search engine and a base level of curiosity will find it plastered all over the music blogs like a rash.While doing so you might also want to seek out the best tracks on this album. The slow single "Harsh Realm" evokes the best of the Minnesota slow core experts "Low" and is a sultry little thing destined to creep on the turnable in your brain. Equally "Night-crawlers" has that sort of David Lynch soundtrack decadence and would have worked beautifully in "Blue Velvet". Another single "Gun Shy" really is great stuff with echoes of the surf guitar of Link Wray and a vocal which by Hamilton which is both equally charming and forlorn. For some reason "Puritan" reminds of a speeded up version of the great Cardiff band Young Marble Giants (whose legacy badly needs reassessment) and is one of the more upbeat numbers here. Granted a couple of tracks find themselves located on the wrong side of sombre and end up rather dull. "Ghost Boy" in particular falls into this trap and its dirge like tones has yet to provide any real joy to this listener. They can be forgiven however as long as they keep producing tracks as good as "Fir Coat" which is about as near as they get to upbeat and is a glorious pop song.There is plenty of potential here in this excellent debut album by a band who will inevitably get better with more experience and recording. As it stands the juxtaposition of haunting and paranoid songs with a nice 50s pop undercurrent works very well and a detour down their way from the plodding Kasabian or the silly Ed Sheeran will do you good.

I heard 'Harsh Realm' by Widowspeak playing in the background of an episode of American Horror Story. It gave me chills, and I rushed to the computer after the episode concluded. I love the song, it makes me feel a bit euphoric at times, but it also gives a nice off kilter feeling with the sinister guitar riffs and melancholy vocals by the lovely Molly Hamilton.After about 10 plays of 'Harsh Realm" I moved on. After a week, I've listened to the entire album a few times and it has really grown on me. "Hard Times, "Fir Coats," and "Half Awake" are my other favorites. They remind a bit of the Cults album, but I like this better. They also seem to have the rock style of a more laid back female vocal version of the Pixies, they are very catchy, pleasant and enjoyable to throw on during a long drive. Mazzy Star would be the clear comparison, so if you like them, the vocals are strikingly similar and just as good. With a few layered guitar parts, steady drums, and the occasional organ, Widowspeak does what a lot of groups have done before, but the vocals of Molly Hamilton make this a group I'll continue to keep my ear on.

This album is definately a slow grower. I got hooked on the single (Puritan) and second single (Gun Shy), and at first thought the rest of the album was not at the same calibre. But I gave the album time, and after five listens or so, the rest of the album really grows on you. The lead singer's voice obviously reminds me of mazzy star, and some songs sound very reminscent of that band, but not completely. This album has a very unique sound to it... the secret weapon is actually the lead guitar, which is simply beutiful. Every song has these very elaborate riffs which thread behind the vocal track. The way the vocals and lead guitar mix together in unexpected ways creates truely amazingly deep music. The guitar at some points actually sounds like something from Interpol (some of their more gental songs), and evoke the same types of feelings, yet with a sexier female edge.

I washed it out.My chest X-rays were sunning on the balcony, gray cornflakes swirling through the air, tempests raging in the high-tension wires. Piss-ended vinegar lurched out of the drain and strapped on light bulbs, four for each orifice. And that's where the magic happens. A la-la land, a submarine tummy. A sousaphone that moonlights as an executioner.I back-masked back to the mask store and grabbed a Willie.It was clammy on the shellfish shelf. Boxes of energy stuffed into each atom, a nursery at each edge of the journey. A constant awareness/oblivion at each new instant/world. Everything looks the same.You're still awake and sleeping -- micro and macro, cookie and cutter. Bliss is the new blah.P.S.: Quit comparing everything to Beach House, troglodytes!

I can understand they might scare some listeners away at first listen. But stay put, Molly's Vocals will ensnare most and Rob Thomas can pump out some great rifts... Widowspeak rose quickly in my playlists, now I cant stop listening to them. I hate comparing bands, but The Cults and Widowspeak are carving up a nice genre for themselves. I for one am excited!