WILD ISLAND "Be Kind"

 
http://doubledotdash.bandcamp.com/album/be-kind

Guitar centered freak folk mind expansion played with a refreshing youthful sincerity. The guitarist's chops are not of the degree of buckethead, but there is a variety of genre that is impressive. The tone of the guitar goes from reverb drenched noise echo to quick release acoustic twang. The Dick Dale speed picking gets gnarly ala MY BLOODY VALENTINE special effect sonic blast as the structure remains pop, almost to the degree of twee. Television hiss snow accompanies distortion power chords and the vocals croon like Echo & the Bunnymen, but the overall attempt is far more spare and DIY. Great vocal harmonies and lots of force in the voice. A song like Ghost Town brings it down a knock, hitting Nick Drake territory, but slightly more droned, with perhaps an over reliance on chords.

A great end of the summer release ... eclectic and bittersweet played at the tempo of jaded determination. It's an intimate release and one that can be melancholy in tone, but its overall effect is one of satisfaction.

-- Jack Turnbull