Widowspeak - Widowspeak Review
Posted by Nick Krenn on 08.09.2011
Slow burning indie rock that should be on your radar.
01. Puritan
02. Harsh Realm
03. Nightcrawlers
04. In The Pines
05. Limbs
06. Gun Shy
07. Hard Times
08. Fir Coat
09. Half Awake
10. Ghost Boy
Widowspeak members Molly Hamilton and Michael Stasiak are both originally from Tacoma, Washington. They relocated to New York following fellow members of the local compilation label they belonged to. After three years of being in New York, Stasiak approached Hamilton about starting a new band together. Picking up guitarist Robert Earl Thomas, a new band was formed, and despite the band’s new surroundings in New York, their sound retained the sparse, slow burning aesthetic of Tacoma rather than adopting the bombast and grandiose of the New York music scene.
Widowspeak’s music bears a sharper edge than New York’s electro-pop community. Rather than permeating their music with the sound of synthesizers, Widowspeak was formed using the classic indie rock mold of vocals, guitars, and drums. I might still classify the group as indie-pop as I could comparatively group them alongside the London-based Allo Darlin’. Widowspeak’s Molly Hamilton sings softer than Elizabeth Morris of Allo Darlin’ though. Widowspeak’s music is more haunting and less bubbly also. Still there are moments on their self-titled debut where Widowspeak don’t seem as confined in the darkness that their songs suggest.
Opening track “Puritan” feels particularly upbeat. It’s narrative of a driving to an unknown place sounds like an adventure rather than a grueling journey. If all of Widowspeak’s songs followed suit with “Puritan”, it would be easier to classify the group as nostalgia-based in the surf rock of 50s and 60s with modern bands like Best Coast and Dum Dum Girls. The remaining tracks don’t allow for such an easy distinction. “Harsh Realm” loses the faster pace set by “Puritan” for a slow burning malaise.
“Harsh Realm”
Hamilton’s voice evokes thoughts of Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval and carries underlying strength in her lyrics surrounding sadness and loneliness. Though the singer has admitted to having crippling stage fright, her voice feels confident and assured. She never pushes her voice too high, but the songs don’t require her to. The emphasis is around mood and capturing those feelings of long drives to God-knows-where during the night. The nocturnal “Nightcrawlers” is closely related to the album’s opening track through its urgency. Robert Earl Thomas’ jangly guitars are excellent at building to the song’s climax of Hamilton singing Nightcrawlers stay out late / Nightcrawlers take the bait.
Widowspeak’s songs daringly venture into psycehdelia. Closing track “Ghost Boy” reaches an exciting crescendo at the 3:42 mark when the influence is very prominent. Hamilton’s song about a deceitful and treacherous lover suddenly feels creepy as the title implies. At the same time, it’s refreshingly anthemic and gives wind of what Widowspeak’s future may bring. I don’t see this band always sticking to an under-the-radar sound but possibly reaching further with bigger arrangements on future releases.
The 411: At ten tracks and 33 minutes in length, Widowspeak’s self-titled debut is an exciting slow-burner that warrants nighttime driving to dark untraveled destinations. Molly Hamilton’s voice is soft and strong, evoking the pain and loneliness of her lyrics yet still maintaining a pop quality. Her band mates Michael Stasiak and Robert Earl Thomas build grimy ambiance to keep things from becoming too sunny however, and the brief flourishes in 60s psychedelia feel truly inspired. Don’t miss this one.
