Wilderness–(K)No(W)Here
There’s been a tribal current flowing through the music scene in the last several years. Bands like Man Man thump the hell out of their drums while jumping and screaming onstage, Yeasayers adds chantlike sounds to their synthier sound, and Wilderness howl in their contribution from Baltimore, Maryland. Wilderness put out a self-titled album to some acclaim a few years ago and…I didn’t hear it. They put out another album called Vessel States a year later and…I didn’t hear it. In November, however, they release their third album and this time I’m all ears.
Wilderness might be the best representative of urban tribalism yet. Rhythm from multiple drumsets spreads a dark backdrop through which James Johnson throws sounds from his belly. Sometimes the sounds are words, sometime not, but it doesn’t matter. The vocals add a sort of pressing fluidity, a wavelike urgency to the already compelling drums, and they are followed by sparse Joy Divisionish riffs from the guitar which lend an element of restraint, control and beauty to the songs.
Did I say songs? Really, this is an album. I can’t listen to it at all without listening to it from beginning to end–the individual tracks are strong, but they gain from their context. The songs blend into one another, usually just changing enough to recharge the experience. It’s a pretty dark, desperate experience, but it’s one I keep coming back to. I think this might be one of this year’s creeping standouts. If you can find it before it comes out on November 4, count yourself lucky. If not, you’ll have to relish the sample below.