wilderness
For the past two days I have been listening nonstop to Wilderness, a band I was super obsessed with about two years ago, but hadn’t listened to in ages. What prompted the return was Ponytail, a band all of us here (all of us = me and Joe) completely adore, and the kinda eureka insight by a friend that so much of Ponytail sounds like Public Image Ltd, which is very, very true and makes Joe and I love them all the more. And so the wires all connect because Ponytail is from Baltimore and Wilderness is from Baltimore and, finally, there might not be another band in the world that does PiL-kinda stuff as well as Wilderness does, who I am increasingly convinced are even better than Lydon’s group. (And I like PiL a lot.) (Also Lungfish should be mentioned here, too. So good.)
Their first album, from 2005, sets the table for all that is to follow: super deliberate pace, super melodic, frisky bass (so post-punk), guitars that are jagged and jarring and never stop their chiming drone and finally James Johnson’s vocals, which are seemingly without consonants, all of his lines big-vowelled yawps that stretch across measures and notes like angry yawns. It’s music dripping with self-confidence and insularity. The songs are Tupperware-tight, enveloped in a foreboding cocoon of melody and dissonance.
Vessel States, from 2006, doesn’t push things forward so much as it just drills their sound into place. “Beautiful Alarms” is their best moment, Johnson’s vocals just straight killing it, awkwardly dancing around the melody and leading a chorus that basically goes: “Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis oooooooooryyyyyyyyy elllllllllllllllll!.” I can’t recommend it highly enough.
This is where I also point out that that purposeful obtuseness extends beyond the music as well. The band — notoriously to all rock critics and industry glad-handers — refuses to use a list for any of their shows; like Shellac, if you wanna see ‘em live, you gotta pay. Don’t matter who you are. Also, when Vessel States came out I badly wanted to feature them in our then-beginning IFC show called the eMusic Dozens, which they were into, so long as the only thing we showed would be a super-blurry picture of them with their music playing. Alas, the TV gods deemed it insufficient. I was disappointed, of course, but respected them for it, too. Dudes mean it.
Finally, there was the “Living Through/Part Ways” single, their last release, also from 2006. It’s my favorite of theirs overall. Again, not much in the way of anything new, just continuing the story, post-scripting their still-young career with more amazing complacency. (I dunno if I have stated it clearly enough, but their songs really have little movement: they are monotonous in the same way a great vacation at the beach is. Everything is just dandy!)
Anyway, I found some YouTube clips (still haven’t seen them live), and I implore you to at least give them a spin. They are one of my favorite bands when I remember to listen to them, which I obviously don’t do nearly enough.
I feel you on this one in a major way. I was really taken aback by their first disc. It was this amazing collection of melancholy and triumph, something about the contrast of the chiming guitar melody and the atonal speak-shouting of James’ vocals.. songs like “It’s All The Same” are so…. epic I guess is the right word. The second disc took longer to grow on me, and i’m still not sure I like it as much as the first, but it’s got some definite strong moments.
Saw them live with Parts & Labor (now there’s a double-bill), and they came across very “early REM” esque, which was a total surprise.
I loved their debut disc, but thought the second disc was too much of a retread (and their sound — which, you’re right, has “little movement” — didn’t work well for me over the course of a second disc with little variation). But I do wonder what’s happened to them, and I am interested in their next project. They’re overdue for a new disc, no?
I hadn’t been convinced to DL Ponytail until now; I am a pretty big Wilderness fan. I agree with Daniel (the lawyer), though: Vessel States doesn’t pack quite the punch of the first one. I might have to go back and reevaluate it in lieu if this post, though.
I admit, I like this better than Ponytail. It sort of reminds me of something by Davie Byrne
I picture Davie Byrne as some kid dressed in a too-big suit with a Davey Crockett hat on.
Okay, total typo but so worth it for the visual.
I was, on another note, pleased to discover that a band I’ve become totally obsessed with can only be found on emusic. Check out Marsmobil
http://www.emusic.com/artist/Marsmobil-MP3-Download/11669149.html
Interesting stuff. Reminds me of the Chameleons as much as PiL.
Joe needs to hear Marsmobil. I have a feeling he will love.
Duly noted – about to listen!
I wouldn’t exactly say that Wilderness is better than PiL….but they mine my favorite parts of PiL’s sound far more than PiL does. That is, I love PiL’s restlessness, but I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the sound of that first single so soon.
Within that range though, I have to agree, Wilderness is sheer joy. One of my all-time favorite emu finds, and one that I remember to listen to. Entirely missed Living Through/Part Ways — outstanding! While the samples from Vessel State have never moved the needle for me, I think I’m just going to have get over it. It’s Wilderness, and I really want more.
Okay, while we’re playing obsession show and tell, and talking about lesser-known artists arguably surpassing their vastly better-known forbears, I’m beside myself with Standing on the Shoulders of Giants by Metaform.
It’s the first entry on my newest emu list, “Waiter! Pink Check Please!” You folks recommended Quiet Village if I like DJ Shadow — yep, nice one, thanks. But this one? Every time I listen to it I start shaking with a combination of glee, awe, and wondering who to tell about it next.
I feel a little better about that last one now, but I’m still in the throes of them other two.
Wilderness is working on a new disc in LA – supposed to be out this fall. Based on some work they did for a show at the Whitney Biennial in March with artist Charles Long. I have been dying for something new from them, see where they go next.
I also saw them with Parts and Labor in 2006, on a lonely Tuesday night, with only 7 other people. They killed, imagine it loud, breathing it in, slowly, knowing that there’s something coming over the next hill, only to be pulled back just when you think it’s about to explode. Totally genius.
One of the top 10 shows ever (and I’m old).
Keep your ears out for the new one…………………….
i saw them live in baltimore this spring, and they were truly phenomenal. they came onstage at almost 1am. the 3 opening acts the venue had scheduled were not only mediocre at best but somehow unaware that an opening act doesn’t play 8-10 tracks. and then, once we thought the night could not be saved, wilderness came up, and it became clear that this massive delay was superuseful for them. our exhaustion and moodiness prepped them: the whole mystical dimension of james’ singing, together with mccann’s truly phrenetic guitar play just made the performance fantastic. and they played for an hour straight, without a single pause; the tracks bled into one another, and the look, like the sound, of the performance crescendoed. i cannot wait for this one to come out as a cd.
Totally digging Vessel States, all of a sudden (used to own it; just downloaded it). “Beautiful Alarm,” especially, which is a great, druggy throwback rock song. The chiming guitar lines set the boundaries, and the tumbling-downhill drums give the songs a manic edge.
Daniel,
I’ve been ignoring this band for a long time but your comment here prompted me to take another look and save the album for later. Now if only I could find it in my sfl…
Yeah, my SFL list is messed up, too. I’d try Wilderness’ debut disc first (you won’t see it among my eMusic downloads, because I have the physical disc). Same vibe, slightly stronger, more memorable tunes.
Try this for your sfl (combination of a hack from the message board and goofing around on my own):
http://www.emusic.com/profile/saveforlater.html?start=1&end=**
replace the ** with the number of items in your list