ALBUM Of THE WEEK: Warpaint – Warpaint
Warpaint’s brilliant second coming dazzles Artrocker.
Album Reviews | Released
Warpaint – Warpaint
(Rough Trade)
5 out of 5
Feeling genuinely nervous as I pressed play, I had no idea what to expect from Warpaint’s self-titled second album; the anticipation made me agitated.
Beginning an album with a false start is a brave move in any respect, but it gives the music the live feel that it deserves, something that they hold on to for the entire record. From the first moment of Intro your expectations are jumped from behind and there’s no doubt that that was their intention. Intro sets the tone with distorting synths, ethereal guitars and looming bass before the opening riff and hissing drums of Keep It Healthy. The same reverb-heavy vocals that we’ve come to expect are coupled here with cyclical riffs and spacious melodies that twist and turn in unexpected directions. There seem to be Eastern and psychedelic influences in the song structure and gentle chord progressions, which contrast with the sawing synths in single Love Is To Die.
Sounding like it could have been written for Lana Del Ray aside, alt-pop single Love Is To Die has so many intricate features it’s hard to describe. The chorus has a discordant hook that made me tilt my head like a confused dog, and the middle eight(ish) is a spaced-out abandonment of the song itself. The combination of endless twinkling guitars and Warpaint’s calling card of airy, delicate but above all, sexy vocals would knock you off your feet alone. However, it’s Mozgawa (drums) and Lindberg (bass) that steal the show here.
Next song, Hi is a shining example of the juxtaposition of a hip hop beat and dream pop vocals that so many musicians try and fail to get right. There are more experimental and jammed sections than we’ve seen from them before and they’re executed beautifully. Hints of Morcheeba and Bjork linger over into the sweeping psychedelic space of Biggy and the warm hums of Teese. As we get past half way the aggressive beats and war-cry lyrics of Disco // Very infuses the tone with more energy; it’s full of swagger and strut, like the love child of MIA and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Filmmaker (and husband to Lindberg) Chris Cunningham has spent the last two years filming and photographing the band as they wrote and recorded Warpaint. His footage will be released as a documentary soon after the album’s release; with songs like Go In and CC (Chris Cunningham? Cocaine?) demonstrating them in full psychedelic flow – I’ll be very interested to see the film’s aesthetic.
I’d like to say that, once more, the rhythm section will blow you away on later tracks Feeling Alright and Drive but it’s just everything. Everything is good. Drive in particular uses more electronic beats and imperceptible layers of melody to create something really incredible; it’s my favourite song on the album and is a testament to what a talented writing force they are now that they have given themselves a new level of creative of freedom. The keys-lead final song Son offers up an intimidating level of intimacy in rolling waves of vocal harmonies, layered keys, sharp guitars and velvet soft drums.
The album is magnificent, and is certainly the right record for them to have put their name to. It left me breathless.
Finnola D’Albert
