Warp Records
2007
The Western Lands
About This Album
As good as Gravenhurst was at chronicling late-night desolation on Fires in Distant Buildings, it still doesn't prepare listeners for the leap they take on The Western Lands. More focused songwriting and a big sound bring the delicate features of their music into sharp relief, keeping the intimacy of their earlier work while making it much more immediate. The album's production and arrangements really are remarkable -- The Western Lands sounds polished without being slick, and underscores the drama in Gravenhurst's songs without drowning them in atmosphere. Wide-open musical landscapes dominate, especially on the title track's dark, Friends of Dean Martinez-eqsue twang and "Trust"'s hazy take on tough '60s pop. In fact, most of the album is surprisingly poppy, given the band's signature restraint. However, the excellent, whammy bar-breaking shoegazer riffs on "Hollow Men" are undeniably, head-bangingly catchy, as is the buoyant cover of Fairport Convention's "Farewell, Farewell," which turns Liege & Lief's wistful folk into windswept dream pop. Interestingly, the band's own "Song Among the Pine," with its meticulous acoustic guitar and invocation-like lyrics, is closer to British folk -- and closer to Gravenhurst's traditional sound.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6 and 7)

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