| An
album worth giving some time, at first you may not get
the full feel of it, but with every listen you find something
new, until you find yourself hooked. It's dark, it's deep,
it's powerful, it's soulful. Every song tells a story,
and tracks like 'Mutiny' have a powerful message. It's
sound is one that you would expect from a folk or blues
legend who's been around a lot longer than 30 years. There
is a punk attitude to it all, which is why he has shared
the stage with the likes of Against Me, Lucero, The Pogues
and more. I love a good songwriter, and this guy is more
than good, he is oozing talent, and with the help of Anti-
will hopefully boost his audience to a deserving size. |
|
WHO?
William Elliott Whitmore hails from the banks of the Mississippi
in Iowa, at 30 years of age, his deep-blues sound could easily be
mistaken for someone well into their 50's. Armed with a killer voice,
a banjo and a guitar, this solo artist is loaded with soul, and
lyrics of real life situations. He' has supported a wide range of
acts, from the acoustic City And Colour, to the dark rock of Murder
By Death to the all out assault that is Converge. Clearly a man
that fellow artists have a strong respect for.
WHAT?
Animals In The Dark opens up with the lyrically political 'Mutiny',
a powerful soul filled anthemic track that takes you by surprise,
a glance at a photo of William before pressing play, and the sound
that's coming out, just doesn't sound like it's be coming from someone
so young. It's a simple but effective track, percussion laying down
a marching beat, and just vocals over the top with an awesome call
and response section later in the song. Already i've gone for the
repeat button and played it back a few times before moving onto
the rest of the album. The songs are definitely growers for the
most part, but songs like 'Hell Or High Water', 'Johnny Law' and
'Mutiny' really jump out at you instantly. It's not going to appeal
to everyone, but if you don't mind the odd country twang, or soulful
blues sound, then give this one a go. This is his first album for
the Anti label, but he has an army of releases under his belt since
1999. Obviously a talent in the songwriting department, always a
good thing that when you are listening, you can actually believe
the words being sung and just feel that raw honest vibe. I think
many will surprise themselves if you take the time to give it a
few listens, once the songs grow on you, you can't get enough.
WHY?
You like your songs to tell a story? A story you can believe, with
a sound in it's rawest form where the vocal is the main focus. The
good thing about folk music is just how timeless it can be, no-one
would be surprised if you played them these songs and said they
were classics from past generations. I'm sure you could play them
in 30 years time to and them still be appealing. There's none of
this 'fad' influence, this is the real deal, it doesn't get much
more honest.
WHEN?
This album will be released on Anti- / Shock on Saturday 14th February.
WHERE?
You can pre-order a copy from Play4me.com.au [Here]
or ask for it instores from 14th February.
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