The third studio album and first release on the Brighton, England-based group's own
Nostromo
label,
A New Nature
finds
Esben & the Witch
refining their signature blend of doom folk and gothic alt-rock, allowing famed audio distiller
Steve Albini
to strip away the layers of caustic atmosphere and present the trio in its rawest form. With
Albini
aboard, the
PJ Harvey
-fronting-
Slint
comparisons are sure to fly (they are also pretty spot on), but
Thomas Fisher
,
Daniel Copeman
, and
Rachel Davies
draw from a much deeper and darker well. Like their closest regional contemporaries,
Wolf People
, the trio's hard rock and doom metal tendencies are tempered by a fascination with English folk, but while the former lean harder toward the early
Fairport Convention
side of things,
seem drawn to the feral psych-folk of
Comus
.
Davies
' delivery is part recitation and part incantation, and her slightly bluesy cadence lends songs like "Dig Your Fingers In" and the cryptic and claustrophobic "Those Dreadful Hammers" a sort of timeless unease that invokes everyone from
Jim Morrison
to
Kendra Smith
(
Opal
Dream Syndicate
). She guides the missiles, but it's
Fisher
and
Copeman
who register the kills. Stripped of some its flair, the band sounds both invigorated and a tad unsteady (an
trademark), but never have they sounded more muscular, and while all of the
Swans
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
analogies are apt, they're just keywords put in place to lead potential listeners to the river, however dangerous and awash with foul things it may be. ~ James Christopher Monger