This week has been a slow one. The minutes have reluctantly turned into hours, and the hours have all but refused to turn into days. There is a change brewing somewhere on the horizon, but the closer I get to it the further away it appears to be.

Despite all of this, my ears have have been drawn to a band called Widowspeak. I was initially intrigued by their name, which intentionally or not, references that genetically determined point at the front of some peoples hairline. I have had come to terms with mine after many a self-conscious teenage year  staring at the mirror asking why, despite all my efforts, I resembled Christopher Lee in dracula. This was not a good look for boy growing up in the middle of England in the 1990's.

Brooklyn based Widowspeak have been called dreary by some, but this description is just plainly wrong. Their music is uncluttered and predominantly downbeat, but it also has a depth and texture that makes it deeply listenable. For me, their recently released self titled debut album draws upon simple but effective guitar work that at times wouldn't sound too out of place in a Sergio Leone movie. This combined with a vocal that can't escape its similarity to Chan Marshall, but which soars effortlessly over a sense of moodiness and melancholy, results in a sound that just works. Simple.


I like it very much.