Wolf People “Ruins” (Jagjaguwar, 2016)

Wolf People hold a special place in the spectrum of what we called for a while “psychfolk”. Their albums, and Ruins is no different in this, have a strong folk edge – Jack Sharp’s vocals have a clear English voice that sounds like it’s destined for some future incarnation of Fairport Convention. Songs appear with Argus-era Wishbone Ash melodies. There’s some flute in the mix. And then the edgy-pastoral Wickermanesque songs which might be about treasure hunting using a Hand Of Glory take a mighty side swerve into a harder Witchfinder General territory as crunching guitars, pounding drums and deep booming bass reveal Wolf People as a band enamoured of that late sixties heavy rock sound. If looking for a more modern comparison, try Espers crossed with Hazards of Love era Decemberists. It’s a sound that can’t be ignored, and that yet remains hooked into a very folky feel even as fuzzed electric guitar lets rip and steers a song towards Space Rock heights. Lyrics are often dark and brooding – Night Witch is a perfect example of this “I’d fly every night if I could / On wings of paper and wood / Delivering death wherever I go / As graceful and quiet as snow / as snow so heavy ceaselessly falls / I will bury you all / I am Night Witch”. It’s like Sandy Denny’s John the Gun crossed with Black Sabbath. Another standout track is Kingfisher which is a beautifully intense love song, played out at full volume.

Ruins is certainly no disappointment after Wolf People’s previous albums – it’s at the same moment quite magically delicate and as hard as a brick. Wolf People are savagely loud in a live setting – and they have some UK dates coming up on their European tour this April.

9/10
9/10

Summary

A journey into a dark wasteland of magical creatures and hazardous encounters. And it rocks, it rocks so hard.

About Jonathan Aird 2681 Articles
Sure, I could climb high in a tree, or go to Skye on my holiday. I could be happy. All I really want is the excitement of first hearing The Byrds, the amazement of decades of Dylan's music, or the thrill of seeing a band like The Long Ryders live. That's not much to ask, is it?
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments