My ears were shall we say aroused when I heard the first single from this collection of songs by Warp signings Gravenhurst. I anticipated something to get excited about and I am delighted to say I have not been disappointed.
The Western Lands is a bit of a hidden treasure in the album stakes, glacial and majestic in its execution. You are served up some big earthy slabs of melancholia in a fashion that is wholly reminiscent of peak performances by the likes of Radiohead and dare I utter the words, a 21st Century incarnation of Joy Division. I know, I know these are strong comparisons and any band that wanders in these waters has a lot to live up to.
However Gravenhurst have that utter immediacy about them, the album as a whole wafts and drifts through you on the first listen and you find yourself immersed in no shortage of pin drop moments as ethereal guitars swoon from your speakers and Nick Talbot’s vocal and songwriting abilities, taint whatever silence you have chosen to surround yourself in for the duration of your listening experience. Right from the offset you have songs like ‘Saints’ which just gently grab and lull you with a monochromatic bleak beauty and the album rarely lets go right through to the last track ‘The Collector’.
Discerning music fans. Treat yourself, this is a must.
