WhiteMoor – Horizons – LP review
It was January 2012 that I first introduced WhiteMoor and they have a new eleven track LP – Horizons – which came out earlier this month.
Whitemoor – Horizons – CD
Opening with High Lights which is a reminder of all the good things about WhiteMoor though delivered in a slightly heavier rock packaging with little doubt the band has become more refined without loosing the good elements of the freshness.
Horoscopes has a more acoustic feel and in some-ways seems to be the negative imagery of the opener as the effects of vocal and instrumentation are reversed.
On Top Of The World completes the opening trilogy of the influences with a dance based beat with Latin American tempos and sets up the LP for the remaining eight tracks.
Embers brings out the synths to play in the landscape as Whitemoor smartly bring the three previous tracks in to one. The confidence with which they lay out the foundations of the LP marks this as a band that has travelled a long way since I last wrote about them.
Next comes the more challenging tempos of The Divine, which I particularly enjoy as they throw down a percussion that immediately draws attention and the delightful use of the sounds of violin and flute adds immensely to the depth of the track.
Marking the halfway point is My Philosophy and it is difficult to believe getting on for twenty minutes has elapsed such is the range and intrigue so far laid down on Horizons. The track focusses on the vocals which are delivered with precision, yet emotive context within a slightly shoegaze influenced soundtrack with the guitars glittering in the background.
All I’ve Ever Known is a well delivered almost experimental piece that demands much of the listener as the track extrapolates the story unfolding through the lyrics which explore the laws of love and hate. Finding an opening organ quickly subsuming in to a rock derived number prior to reappearing in shattered icicle form and with the sounds of strings accompanying the persuasive bass / drum lead before suddenly breaking into rap vocal yet all wrapped up inside 2:41. My pick of the release.
Run Along is back to a similar sound to the opener and a further demonstration of the way the band has developed over time as they are able to lay down powerful emotional contexts which rely on the orchestration of the band to deliver the full impact of the lyrical context to which WhiteMoor always remain true with their material, aiming to paint the picture of the story being told.
Sirens is a track I particularly enjoy and worth the price of the LP on its own as the harrying but quietly played instrumentation brings a sense of rising panic to fully reflect the lyric which tells the tale of loss confusion and isolation.
The penultimate track Don’t Hold Me Down is once again a vocally driven piece with the instrumentation laying down a framework for the voice to explore the lyrics.
This is… concludes an LP extending to some forty minutes of an emotional rollercoaster in which WhiteMoor have laid down their intended direction of travel. It may alienate some of their earlier fans, but will with no doubt garner them far more new fans and it good to see a band clearly mark out where they aim to head.
Horizons – Whitemoor is available on iTunes*.
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