My first taste of Desolation Wilderness was their 3-song single, Until Forever. I didn't say it in the review, but I made a mental note to make sure and get a copy of that "forthcoming K album." Well, that album's here now, and I have to say that it's a stunner that quite easily outshines that EP.
Okay, so that previous review pretty much holds true for White Light Strobing, except expanded. The hazy atmosphere is stil there, but the atmosphere is much less amorphous, while the songwriting is much more lucid. Occasionally, such as on "Forget Everything" or "Horizon Star," the record sounds as if it were recorded in a cathedral. Desolation Wilderness's lackadasical style reminds me of Galaxie 500; haze and muffled lyrics mixing together to create a sound that's both warm and cold. Honestly, I hadn't quite expected this direction for the full-length, but I'm certainly not disappointed by it. To me, it's the little things that make me like White Light Strobing so much; the gentle, hushed slide guitar in "Jupiter" is charming, the laid-back country strumming of "Road Song" makes me feel like I'm moseying down a dusty Western road, and the closing "USA Highway" is simply sublime in almost every way.
White Light Strobing is sublime; it reveals its beauty over repeated listens. It's certainly one of the prettiest records I've heard this year.
Listen To: Road Song
White Light Strobing is available now on K RecordsLabels: Desolation Wilderness, K Records, reviews d |
