Every now and then, the tumbleweed in the UK Music scene is disturbed by a great album and this is one example. Devon isn't noted as a hotbed of Indie goodness, surrounded at times by Prog from nearby counties, but this shatters those illusions.
There is no doubt that Elise Cook will be the focal point and why not. Her voice could lend itself to any genre, at times folky, even suiting Prog, but it is Indie that benefits most. However, this is a quartet that is the sum of its parts, providing really hypnotic arrangements.
The sound is a little shoegaze at times, but not boring and meandering like too much of that genre. These are proper songs. All Of My Friends Are Depressed remains one of the songs of the year, but this album is not that and 10 other songs.
There is real Post Punk riffed up noisy joy to Surprise Guilty Party and Great Expectations enters the 90s and wipes the floor with it. The title track is more restrained, moodier, but bursts out joyously. A little like Garbage instrumentally without the too cool for school nonsense,
There's even an epic closer that strips everything down and allows Cook's vocal to show its hypnotic strength. There is a delicateness that matches the intense that is both admirable and great listening. Just listen to the gentleness on Doomed.
In a musical world dominated by likes and streams, the album format has never been more threatened by playlists and supposed influencers. Wield Your Hope Like A Weapon is a perfect example of the strength of the long form. Wonderful!
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