`Inhabiting the eerie dream world formerly the province of Jarboe and The Swans in their latter period, Wive create the sort of emotionally draining, beautiful that defies easy categorisation while grabbing hold of your heart and giving it a good squeeze. Elements of the Arcade Fire, Angels of light, fuck buttons and more pulses at the core of this stunning album available on Exile on mainstream records, and boasting the sort of stunning packaging that seems to be the trademark of that label.
Opening with ‘Toast to famines’, a beautifully phrased lament which recalls Seafood’s haunting vocal harmonies, set to the most skeletal of background beats and eerie violin. It’s a stunning opening that builds over its meagre four minute runtime to a gentle crescendo before ‘Teethy’ trudges in upon a jazzy drum beat and downbeat minor chord vocal harmonies that see the band stretch into Arcade fire territory, but without that band’s sense of orchestrated chaos. ‘Language’ comes next, a song that swells out of guitar drone, with vocals that recall a barbershop quartet at a funeral so mournful are they in execution. ‘Lazarus and dives’ follows and it comes as something of a relief after the deep introspection of the previous track. Simulated vinyl noise and piano come together with programmed drums to create a haunting track that wouldn’t sound out of place on NIN’s Ghosts set; It’s a high point of the record and it is a remarkably beautiful track that sucks you into a reverie.
‘Come, join the sea’ is almost a hymn, based around haunting vocals and a simple piano melody that slowly builds as elements are added into the mix until the whole thing reaches a painful crescendo that echoes around the listener. ‘Attrition’, meanwhile, offers an overwhelmingly distorted bass coupled with an organ to create the backing track to one of the most memorable melodies on the disc. Once again Wive demonstrate their ability to make the most complex and ostensibly difficult musical arrangements accessible and the song is cleverly arranged to make sure that the noise elements never overpower the mix. ‘The day the earth burnt to death’ continues with the NIN-esque elements as a Spartan beat underpins this most melancholy of tracks, and the echoing vocals are gloriously understated. ‘Widows’ surely wins the prize for most unconventional percussion, while the melodies again recall The Arcade Fire’s more experimental moments. ‘Tongve of Callvs’ opens on an unnerving note before powerful yet jazzy drums underpin the track. ‘Slvmber’s edit’ closes the record with piano lost amidst a wall of static and ghostly half-heard voices. It is the perfect ending to this difficult, beautiful, unearthly album.
Wive are a fascinating prospect. They bear similarities to various US indie acts such as Low and Arcade Fire, as well as to Icelandic adventurers Sigur Ros, but ultimately their sound is all their own. The music is sparse, beautiful and yet occasionally deeply complex and there is a harrowing element to the melancholy vocals that would be all but unbearable if it wasn’t for the faintest glimmer of hope that appears from time to time to rescue the listener from the worst excesses of their imagination. That this record is highly recommended almost goes without saying, but it is not a record that I would play with great regularity owing to its sombre nature, rather it is something to be taken out, marvelled at and treasured when the mood strikes. It is hard to imagine hearing a more beautiful or emotive piece of music all year and if you can track down the first run, the first 1000 copies come in a beautiful hand printed bag.
