Image courtesy of Lefse Records
In a short blurb for yesterday’s mix tape I made fun of Ian for how horribly he described a band. I need to make a point of saying that Ian has been consistently awesome in recommending me music over the tenure of our friendship. He’s got pretty good taste! One of his most recent successes was turning me onto Woodsman. I think he initially sold me on their album Collages because it contained a track called “Dikembe Mutombo.” Their psychedelic space/post-rock sound is right in line with what I find myself most frequently listening to these days. As if by some divine force, I received a copy of the band’s new EP Mystery Tape in the mail last week. Excitedly, I tore into it.
“Beached” begins the record all gauzy, druggy and tribal with a the band’s two drummers keeping themselves impressively restrained. Heavily processed voices rise and fall around delayed and reverberated guitar flourishes and a steady bass line. “When The Morning Comes” exposes the band’s pop sensibilities. It’s not too poppy. With its swirling effects and electronics galore, the song reminds me of the best unreleased Landings outtake I’ve never heard. “Hocus Pocus” is pure motorik bliss, the propulsive drums and bass groove lock into each other as woozy synths and crystalline guitar licks spiral around the propulsive rhythm section. “Balance” continues the Krautrock vibe sounding downright Can-ish, or more specifically like a track off Tago Mago or Ege Bamyasi. All that’s missing here is Damo whispering nonsense syllables in the background. In spite of the obvious debt the song owes to Can, the combination of guitar/bass melody with the dual drums and sampled voices is texturally stunning. The album concludes with the 14-minute “Smells Like Purple,” an epic jam that finally shows off the band’s muscle. The guitars howl and chug along until they fade into a fog of effects nearly halfway through the sprawling opus. It is short live, as the band quickly regains its intensity and sustains it for the duration. Awesome.
For the few references I made to other bands in the body of this review (see: Landing, Can), Woodsman most definitely has a style of their own. Songs contain elements that might be familiar to some listeners, but one cannot simply categorize the band as copying pre-existing styles. Collages as well as the newly released Mystery Tapes more than establish Woodsman as a unique and exciting addition to the modern space/psych scene. I look forward to seeing how these songs translate in a live setting. Now if only the band could schedule an LA date in the near future. I mean, they’re based out of Denver for fuck’s sake. How far apart are we, anyway? A dozen hours by car? Don’t be pussies, Woodsman. I’ll see you soon.
The fantastic new Woodsman EP Mystery Tapes is available now thanks to Lefse Records. The vinyl is but $11.99 over at the label’s website. Get on it.
Listen to “Beached“.
