Hey, you Should Check Out this Band: Warpaint Edition
By EuanDewar 17 Comments
Yo 'aight so last week I wrote this thing about the Strokes, it was cool and all but I'm new to this shit so experimenting is part of the fun. As a result this little thing here is a little diffo, so naturally it get's a whole new name. This is where I'm gonna be talking about perhaps lesser known bands and artists, long time shit you might not have heard of or newer bands on the scene. Whatever, it's all cool baby. This time? WAAAAAAARRRRPPAAIIIIIINT!
Warpaint, 4 cool ass ladies from sunny L.A., started out in 2004 and since then it's been something of a ride. After 7 years of like 15 different drummer's and synth players you might think a band would give up but no, they soldiered on and as a result came 2008's EP Exquisite Corpse. Something of a proof of concept it's a wonderful little collection of swirling guitar sounds, lovely vocal harmonies and stories of L.A life basking in reverb. I came to it after hearing their 2010 debut and once you put it all together it show's how much a band can perfect their shit over 2 years. My personal Highlight? The faaaaantastically beautiful tribute to Billie Holiday. If this doesn't stir up at least some emotions in you, well...Go away, to put it lightly.
Now, about that full length debut. The Fool came along in October last year and with it like every music journalist jizzing themselves with enthusiasm. Justified enthusiasm but boy was the semen ever flowing (I'm particularly proud of that sentence). Anyway's I was pretty much hooked from the off, I heard Undertow on the way home from school on a Friday and it was so intensely chill that I just had to look this shit up. The band have said in interviews that most songs on the album formed through on stage jam's and just messing about which is very apparent throughout. Specifically in the dark self titled Warpaint and the completely mesmerizing Bees, they build up layer by layer in a way you don't quite notice whilst it's happening but it completely pay's off afterwards. I've listened to the album numerous times now, too many to count but still it catches me off guard every time a song hit's that full bodied point.
Lovely seances isn't all they do though, there are two typically stunning acoustic numbers. Shadows bathes in vocal melodies and dat bass but is really just another wonderful ethereal cover up for every day stories of L.A. life and Baby is as close as the album gets to sounding ordinary but it's no less haunting. Pretty much the only song on the album in which its very clear this is a solo effort, Emily Kokal vocal's are just frighteningly delicate. Blimey is it charming.
Special praise need's to be given to the band's rhythm section. Jenny Lee Lindberg on Bass and Stella Mozgowa on drums are so tight and so, so absorbing, they make the band what they are. Not to mention being bloody hilarious live, what with the shuffling and the dancing. However, it is an album by a band of human people that isn't Elephant so naturally it has to have a couple of weak points. I'm not a huge fan of Composure, it feels a little aimless, the only song on the album that feels a little like it doesn't have a grasp on itself. Maybe something that others's enjoy but it doesn't jive very well with me. Actually watching this video over again maybe I'm overreacting. Who know's.
Ultimately though, I fucking love this band to bits. Luckily they're releasing the Fool Deluxe on the 26th of September which compiles the album, the EP and two bonus tracks. A great way to introduce yourself to the band. Check them out on youtube or something, or just delve straight in with the full album and see if you come out the other end happy. They're certainly unique enough to take a look at, even if what I described isn't something you're that into. Again thanks for reading, no idea how a more review-y style thing from me is going to pan about hey like I said, it's all cool baby. See you next time.
x
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