Thursday, April 7, 2011

True Widow - As High As The Highest Heavens And From The Center To The Circumference Of The Earth (2011)

From last.fm:


"Up from the warm, almost oppressively humid Texas air rises a din. The sound is created by only three people. For now, we’ll just call them D.H., Nikki and Slim. The music that they are creating might be the aural equivalent of walking down a farm-to-market road on a foggy morning just before day breaks.The clamor began in November 2007 when these three humans came together to form True Widow. As is to be expected, they set about committing this alchemy to tape and from this arose their self-titled debut in November 2008. True Widow was recorded by the more-than-capable hands of Matt Pence at his Echo Lab studio. But then came time to spread the good word. So they headed out West and then out East, bringing their simultaneously breathless and heavy live set with them.Of course, they don’t expect you to just take their word on all of this. Fader Magazine said: “True Widow, who grabbed those lackadaisical grunge breakdowns we didn’t even realize we missed, and drew them out in an epic swell of apathy and stoned whateverness”. And back to that live show. Crawdaddy said of the band’s 2009 set at the Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco: “a mix of shoegaze and post rock with beautifully mellow vocals and menacing undertones, displaying a knack for delivering the rock goods while keeping the pace slow and steady with dynamics loud then soft—pretty downer music that manages to go interesting places even when it’s drenched in monotonous sludge. No gimmicks, just awesome music.”So now they look out over the horizon. The demos for their forthcoming follow-up show an outfit that have, according to the band, “found ourselves within the band and are in great places with each other, musically and personally.” A full roster of shows across the country proves that True Widow are building up a head of steam and that word is spreading quickly about this most unique of acts. They are at times heavier than francium, and at other times whisper-soft, like a hazy lullaby from a distant future."


I've been in a fairly bad mood all fucking day. I was talking with a friend earlier about a touche subject matter and she seemed to hit a nerve and I reverted to my hermit-like, nihilistic ways. I pretty much avoided as much people as I could today, making excuses like "Oh I'm sick" when they asked me what's wrong or told them I was busy while online. I normally don't listen to music like this but it was a sort of random pick up. I'm not really sure how I got it but I fucking loved it and it really lifted my spirits. Shoegaze really isn't my thing mainly because I find it pretty boring and there's nothing aggressive about it which turns me off. Slowdive is alright but I mainly associate it with My Blood Valentine, whom I can't fucking STAND. I guess you could question why I like post-rock but that's mainly for my love of the band Russian Circles. I saw them in concert and have loved them and post-rock ever since. True Widow are the reincarnation of Slowdive but not really. They have a member or two (not how many) who were in Slowdive so they're bound to have a bit of an influence. What I noticed about True Widow right is away is the ever-so-present stoner rock/psychedelic mumbo jumbo thrown into the mix. Who would of thought to take some of the chillest genres like shoegaze and stoner rock and to twist them together to create such a mellow vibe. The fuzzy sound over the guitar, the drone-esque psychedelic soundscape, and soft spoken vocals make for such a totally different experience I've never really experienced before. My heart was officially one when the track Boaz came on. It starts out with some slowly fuzzed over guitar riffs resembling Kyuss, a flowing bassline, patted tambourines, and eventually followed by vocals. The drums throughout the song are just subtle enough to get you into the zone without being overbearing in any way whatsoever. I can see myself running through a field of trees looking for a way out. I'm not paying attention because I'm frantically looking for an exit and nearly stumble off a cliff. The waves below are crashing and I slowly start to lose my balance. A whimsical female fairy, who is half clothed, grabs my by the arm and saves my life. She brings me over to a bed sitting in the middle of a flower patch and gently places me at the edge. We both stare intently into each others eyes as we're about to lock lips. And then suddenly, BAM!, I wake up. It was just a dream. It was just a dream induced by this song. It was just a dream induced by this band. Is what I'm typing even real? Are we living right now or are we merely dreaming? This album will have you questioning the endless possibilities of humans. What exactly are we? Why are we here? Who brought us here? Who the fuck knows. Gather up some friends, light some incense, and drop some acid. Your about to embark on a magical journey thanks to True Widow.




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