- Audio CD (17 May 2010)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: One Four Seven Records Ltd
- ASIN: B003D85DY4
- Other Editions: Audio CD | MP3 Download
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 26,785 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product Description
Review
When Juno Award-winning Canadian quintet Wintersleep's third album, 2007's Welcome to the Night Sky, collected a considerable quota of critical plaudits–"on a par with Band of Horses," read one review–it seemed their star was set for commercial ascendance. But it hasn't quite happened for them in the same way as fellow countrymen Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene, two groups to have taken praise in the press and turned it into mainstream-appeal gold. When they last visited London, it wasn't an Academy for this lot–instead, they played a whiskey bar (albeit a very popular one).
But stasis on a level of success measured by sales, records and tickets, hasn't stalled the band's creativity: fourth long-player New Inheritors takes the refined indie template of its predecessor and introduces additional depth and tonal detail. Strings are stirred from slumber on opener Experience the Jewel, wrapping themselves around tumbling percussion and lyrics demanding sing-along recognition–"It's bigger than you / If you ever make it through / What would you do?"–without coming across like a tacked-on post-production extra. As they swell, so do battling guitars; complementary constituents are the pieces at play, nothing sounding out of place.
The driving dynamics of Encyclopaedia are indicative of another side to Wintersleep: here, they're a close-enough cousin to acts like Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Mission of Burma, delivering a racket that's taut of rhythm but raucous of execution. Black Camera is a similar number, vocalist Paul Murphy drawling his lyrics in a fashion not a thousand stylistic miles away from Thurston Moore before switching pace as if a snaking electrical cable has made contact with steel-toe-capped boots. This ability to alternate their expression(s) of energy characterises a record that moves from snappy punk-infused offerings to intricate arrangements that reward repeated listens with textural treasures.
What New Inheritors isn't, though, is a record set to have those familiar with its makers reassessing previous opinions on Wintersleep. Murphy occasionally seems a thorn in the side of efforts to appreciate the band's widescreen bombast, as his vocals can be as much an acquired taste as Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug; and the music, while supremely accomplished, isn't tearing up any long-established rule books. But if Welcome to the Night Sky did it for you, this will prolong the love affair with a resolute classiness. --Mike Diver
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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6 reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
My Album of the Year
29 July 2010
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I first noticed Wintersleep a couple years ago after stumbling upon Weighty Ghost from their third album "Welcome to the Night Sky." I fell in love with them, and immediately set out to discover their back catalog. While their previous two albums held a few gems, the albums didn't compare, as a whole, to Night Sky---an album that won them the Juno Award (Canada's version of a Grammy Award) for Best New Band. So it was with equal parts excitement and trepidation that I awaited their fourth album, "New Inheritors." Could it live up to Night Sky, or was it going to be like their first two albums with some good songs, but not an overall smash?
They blew me away.
This album is incredible, from start to finish. There's not a single song I'll skip, a rarity for any band, or any album. That isn't to say there aren't stand out songs that find their way onto repeat, though. Power songs Trace Decay and Mausoleum have been on repeat for days. Experience the Jewel is a perfect beginning for the album, going from soft and melodic to full out rock (with the help of backing strings). Paul Murphy's voice and lyrics are solid, mature, and, at times, spellbinding, but for me, Loel Campbell (drums) is the stand-out star of the show. Like any good drummer, he can disappear when needed, but there are times when he absolutely steals the show.
If you're a fan of Indie Rock, this is definitely an album to add to your collection.
They blew me away.
This album is incredible, from start to finish. There's not a single song I'll skip, a rarity for any band, or any album. That isn't to say there aren't stand out songs that find their way onto repeat, though. Power songs Trace Decay and Mausoleum have been on repeat for days. Experience the Jewel is a perfect beginning for the album, going from soft and melodic to full out rock (with the help of backing strings). Paul Murphy's voice and lyrics are solid, mature, and, at times, spellbinding, but for me, Loel Campbell (drums) is the stand-out star of the show. Like any good drummer, he can disappear when needed, but there are times when he absolutely steals the show.
If you're a fan of Indie Rock, this is definitely an album to add to your collection.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
They Only Get Better
3 Aug 2010
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This band has always been something special - a slightly heavier, layered sound combined with intelligent, introspective lyrics. You won't find many eleven year-olds playing Wintersleep at their pool parties. Each of their successive releases has become increasingly more polished, and I mean that in a good way: they are extremely "listenable" without veering toward the commercial. There's little danger of the programming droids at "Mass Media Channel" jumping on the Wintersleep band wagon anytime soon.
New Inheritors blew me away from the very first track, Experience The Jewel. It opens with a string arrangement and builds slowly before slamming into gear with a sudden whump of the bass drum and unfolding into a truly enigmatic track, helped along by contrasting guitar solos. A great start to an album that, track after track, keeps the momentum going as you wind your way through all the way to the end. There's no filler on this one. Highlights for me were Mausoleum, Trace Decay, and the title track, New Inheritors.
If you know and like Wintersleep, buy New Inheritors now. If you don't know them, buy this now and then work your way back through their catalog. You won't be sorry.
New Inheritors blew me away from the very first track, Experience The Jewel. It opens with a string arrangement and builds slowly before slamming into gear with a sudden whump of the bass drum and unfolding into a truly enigmatic track, helped along by contrasting guitar solos. A great start to an album that, track after track, keeps the momentum going as you wind your way through all the way to the end. There's no filler on this one. Highlights for me were Mausoleum, Trace Decay, and the title track, New Inheritors.
If you know and like Wintersleep, buy New Inheritors now. If you don't know them, buy this now and then work your way back through their catalog. You won't be sorry.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
The most interesting thing happening in music today
22 May 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase
Wintersleep's 2007 release Welcome to the Night Sky (which won them the Canadian Juno award for Best New Band of 2008) is a tough one to follow, but New Inheritors does not disappoint. It's a bit of a slow build through the first few tracks (which is fine), but mid-way through Black Camera all hell starts to break loose and it never lets up from there. Trace Decay and Preservation are my current favorites but I'm sure I'm going to end up loving every track on this album. Wintersleep has a rare gift for avoiding clichés and making serious music without ever seeming pretentious; there's a sincerity and innocence in everything they do.
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