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Sunday 18 November 2012

Warpaint - The Fool LP


One of the surprises of the year at the 'Into the Valley...' offices is how well Warpaint did in terms of hits when selected as Pick of the Week. There seems no reason why the Los Angeles combo should have risen to become our second most successful post in the history of the blog. So can their debut album 'The Fool' shed any light on their apparent success?

The answer is a resounding no. It's not in anyway catchy or particularly engaging. It should rank up there with PJ Harvey in the dirge stakes, but somehow it isn't a struggle to listen to. In fact it's a relatively enjoyable experience, but I'm not intelligent enough to know why. There's base, drums, guitar, singing and an odd slice of piano; back to basics indie with no frills or affectations. It's possibly more Evlkeith's cup of tea than mine and those intertwined harmonies and complex baselines would probably appeal to the muso in him.

All the tracks blend into one which again is not a criticism, but none are particularly memorable as my favourites. 'Set you arms down' is a typical balance of delicate voice, precise base and then layering in the drums and soaring guitars, with 'Shadows' and 'Baby' following a similar formula. Only 'Undertow' deviates and sounds a little like Nirvana at times.

I'm almost neutral about 'The Fool'. Some days I really enjoy it and on others I flick through all the tracks. If a female, indie version of dirge rockers Tool appeals then check out Warpaint. They may also be ideal if you prefer mild enjoyment to full scale fun, but in a good way.

 

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