Wolfredt’s new record IIII is much more than simply the fourth full length in their discography, because this really sounds like a full-fledged band – even more than on Tides and that definitely means something! European Post-Rock throne, here come the hopefuls from the North-East!
Okay, let’s go a very idiosyncratic way for this review – let’s write it on the fly while listening to the record for the first time, like an exercise in Joyce, but man, that might be tough, so let’s at least keep punctuation to make it a bit easier on the reader just like the record makes it quite easy on the listener to like it, for the beginning is really Synthwavey and Poppy, but hey these riff eruptions give it a very different twist, this is nowhere near real Synthwave, the clever Estonians just stole the rhythm from it, cleverly done the riffs again, no not really Russian Circles-like more like This Will Destroy You or a bit of the open character of If These Trees Could Talk yeah that might be it, it’s a good melange which finally gets you to Explosions in the Sky or Caspian am I just dropping references here anyway, what’s the name of that opening track? ”The Seer” still need to listen to that new Swans record and try to get someone for it.
Okay, now it’s ”Under The Spell”, that drumbeat and the hollow bassline is pretty cool because it is closer to Post-Punk than one might expect here oh yeah and now some spiralling guitar line slowly moving forward in on the ear cool when it grows exponentially in volume so that one forgets Ian Curtis and all his wanna-be’s totally forget about him for sometimes lyrics just disturb from the mental movie, did I forget about punctuation by the way? well, who cares when this thing is spinning in your ears and sounds like a pretty good desert movie soundtrack but no, none of the Desert Sessions guys would listen to this I guess but then again who am I to know? Oh this goes up and up and up and the end is also pretty cool as it ebbs away very nicely at the end Onto ”Terra Nullius” hmmm no earth? Nullified Earth? Nevertheless, this here is definitely influenced by Caspian but it’s nicer and more melodic than their last one, especially with this drum beat accompanying the vibraphone elements in the background, yeah that riff and the swirling guitar coming with it yeah this track has some great vibes a big plus on my side uh and there are even some vocals in it? Yessss.
Damn those keys and strings on ”Oh Brother”, yeah just a short interlude of sorts I know but this is well-knit stuff knit? This is neither Knitting Factory or a wool-sack for cats, Thorsten, anyway, oh now they throw in a bit of guitar strumming in the very, very deep end clever gives it more rhythm than melody classic move but well achieved here me likey quite ghostey another plus should bring this to a longer form then it could be as intense as some of that Clann Zu stuff uh next track opens with a wind-glockenspiel? Those little tubes hanging down and making sounds when the wind moves them, cool. And then the dark deep guitar melody above it quite contrary to the glistening beginning of ”Skeleton Key” - wait isn’t there already a track of that name let’s look it up, oh damn there are loads of them , Epica, Banner Pilot and yes, that’s the one I know Lanegan.
Okay, Wolfredt add another one and yes this is a good one, better than those first two and probably better than all apart from Lanegan for Lanegan is god but this here is a cool one makes me think of floating along clouds of pure white even though the strong guitar line would surely pull me down and then – baaaaaam I might end up a Skeleton Key. ”Assegai” next, well we had that premiere for the video right? Still an awesome track but if anyone wants to know more about it look it up on our website right but ”Skeleton Key” and ”Assegai” surely make one really cool combination before the final track ”The Original Android” well now this is some kind of intro for a scene in a Honky Tonk somewhere in New Mexico might visit it with Joe when we go there and yes a shuffling beat on the drumkit love it and the ethereal swirling guitar yes, great work Margus and Company. Let’s ride into the sunset to this one … are there Honky Tonks in Estonia must ask Margus and tell him how much I love the record awesome development for a project that wasn’t intended to become a full band, this is surely something well done boys!
