Review: Esben and the Witch - A New Nature
By Jordan Matthiass, Contributor
[Nostromo, 2014]
Rating: 5.5/10
Key Tracks: “No Dog,” “Wooden Star”
Let’s get one thing straight: By its very nature, post-rock is boring. The philosophy of “less is more” works into the genre even more deeply than the philosophy of “firing automatic weapons in residential areas is a good time” fits with old-school gangsta rap. You get one guess as to which category A New Nature falls under. Hint: There are minutes-long buildups and, disappointingly, zero AK-47 samples.
Which wave of snorecore--ahem, post-rock--are we currently riding? The fourth? Fifth, maybe? At any rate, there’s an expanse of history riding behind Esben and the Witch’s newest album and, admittedly, it bogs it down. Don’t take A New Nature and compare it against a masterpiece like Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s Lift Your Skinny Fists, or something in the vein of Slint’s first-wave beauty, Spiderland.
This release instead takes surprising cues from groups like Electric Wizard and Sleep. In fact, after the twangy intro to the first track explodes into a grimy battle song, I expect the gravelly vocals of Jus Oborn or Al Cisneros to come smashing through. Instead, something much more miraculous happens, which I’ll touch on in one moment.
A backbone of war-ready drums and vivid, battle-centric imagery playing over chords tuned for a stoner metal tribute band should generate quite an interesting upset for the current fashions in post-rock. But is something only mildly interesting in an overly-mild genre enough to warrant one’s time?
Nope. Esben and the Witch try very hard to bring “a new nature” to the style, but the trio experiences far too many pitfalls. Changing up guitar tone and breaking out larger drums is not enough to escape the constraints of being such a boring group, something the band is learning the hard way.
However, there is one superb element of A New Nature that grandly sets it apart: some of the best female vocals of anything in recent memory. A rousing counterpoint to the sludgy, resin-coated instrumental work, singer Rachel Davies cuts through the bland structure of the album to deliver a bewitching chant woven of fantastical conflicts and cataclysmic dreams.
The only truly great tracks on this album, “No Dog” and “Wooden Star,” are only as captivating as they are because they showcase the jaw-dropping dichotomy of Davies’ abilities.
“No Dog” starts hard and heavy, exhibiting producer Steve Albini’s longtime taste for noise. It presents a shoutable, invigorating cry of malicious independence, “I am no man, but I am alive / And I am no dog / I am a wolf,” before exploding into the most amp-smashingly heavy portion of A New Nature while Davies repeatedly screams, “NO DOG!” This is Esben and the Witch tearing down villages by axe and hammer.
On the other hand, “Wooden Star,” which radiates the most serene aura of all the songs on this record, is the band reposing in the rubble (sample of crackling fire included). The songwriting, while maintaining the characteristically vibrant imagery, is placed in a more calming context as Davies assures the listener they will be safe and warm as the stars rise above. It’s easy to believe, so sleep comes easily during this gem, but not from boredom.
Chop A New Nature down to an EP and maybe there would be something truly magical but as it stands, the LP follows in the footsteps of too many boring, seemingly endless post-rock snoozefests. Oh, and Davies? You don’t need the band. Do some spoken word on your own and you’d sell millions.
