First Listen: Widowspeak, 'Almanac'
Widowspeak is a fount of familiar sounds, from early-'90s shoegazer rock to twangily portentous Western soundtracks to the languidly soft pop of Mazzy Star's Hope Sandoval. But the Brooklyn-based duo of Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas fuses them all into a hazy swirl and gives them a kick of buzzy energy — and, in the process, gives the music a dreamy pop sound of its own.
The pair's second album — Almanac, out Jan. 22 — takes the spare, droning simplicity of Widowspeak's self-titled debut and fleshes it out, thickening it with added layers of guitars and organs. But Almanac isn't just a bundle of blearily impeccable atmospherics; the closer you listen, the more it snaps into a focus as a richly textured portrait of aching melancholy and momentous change.
Widowspeak, 'Almanac'
Perennials
- Artist: Widowspeak
- Album: Almanac
Dyed In The Wool
- Artist: Widowspeak
- Album: Almanac
The Dark Age
- Artist: Widowspeak
- Album: Almanac
Thick As Thieves
- Artist: Widowspeak
- Album: Almanac
Almanac
- Artist: Widowspeak
- Album: Almanac
Ballad Of The Golden Hour
- Artist: Widowspeak
- Album: Almanac
Devil Knows
- Artist: Widowspeak
- Album: Almanac
Sore Eyes
- Artist: Widowspeak
- Album: Almanac
Locusts
- Artist: Widowspeak
- Album: Almanac
Minnewaska
- Artist: Widowspeak
- Album: Almanac
Spirit Is Willing
- Artist: Widowspeak
- Album: Almanac
Storm King
- Artist: Widowspeak
- Album: Almanac
Comments
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Login / Register
Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and Terms of Use. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.