aaamusic | On 13, Sep 2011

Silver Wren – Window In The Wreath

Bringing to mind a beautiful epic poem, Silver Wren’s ‘Window In The Wreath’ EP is a five-track treat for the ears. Part folk, part psychedelia, with the contradictory lush sparseness of krautrock, it has a unique, hazy charm that is well worth fifteen minutes of your life – a merciful and ideal runtime for a set of songs that paint a landscape without outstaying their welcome.

Opener ‘Crystalline’ unfurls with echoing, distant vocals and intimate yet cavernous guitars that play a simple melody yet possess an intense gravitas thanks to the almost tangible atmosphere and beauty of the music. The booming yet understated percussion adds further dimension to the track, an embellishment rather than a rhythmic crutch. ‘Estranger’ has a slightly less expansive feel, with the acoustic guitar much more organic and close in tone, injecting warmth to the clattering, horizon-situated percussion and distantly sighing vocals. There’s a hint of Jesus And Mary Chain in vocal delivery, if one could hybridise JAMC with Keats and the Romantic poets. An evocative, melancholy love of the world beats at the heart of the song, made more immediate by lovelorn moods, but once again it is the deceptively simple yet charming instrumentation that win over the listener, creating a world to slip into.

The incongruous banjo style song ‘Silent Haze’ is a bit incongruous, even awkward in its sudden volume increase compared to its predecessor, and loosens the mesmeric hold over the listener, but is by no means a bad track – Silver Wren’s ability to craft spectral, layered landscapes of sound remains, but it has taken a sudden U-turn that comes as a surprise to the unprepared listener, and the quicker tempo and energy in the instruments sits slightly uncomfortably with the slow, dreamlike vocals, and ‘Native Fears’ seems to realise this, bringing back the stripped-down acoustic guitar with its lilting melodies and the slight yet compelling orchestration that made the first two tracks as hypnotic.

The closing title track ‘Window In The Wreath’ manages to reconcile organic, human intimacy with ethereal feathery soundscapes to create a song that caresses the heart and soul with its fluttering gentleness and vital percussive beat. Not as conspicuously different as ‘Silent Haze’ yet undeniably faster and more hopeful than the other tracks, despite an abrupt ending it feels like a warm, comforting note to end this flawed yet charming EP on.

Released for free download via Bandcamp, ‘Window In The Wreath’ is a promising piece of echo-drenched psych-folk that will take listeners on a gentle voyage through the dreams of Silver Wren.

 

Author: Katie H-Halinski