February 2014 Roundup – A Mixtape

Jon Doyle — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 18:17:22 +0000

A collection of songs by artists featured in the past month here at Wake The Deaf.

Miss last month’s edition? Listen to our January round-up.

February Mix from Wake The Deaf on 8tracks Radio.

The post February 2014 Roundup – A Mixtape appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Black Walls – Communion

Liam Doyle — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 15:19:00 +0000

We were big fans of Black Walls’s debut album, Acedia, here at Wake The Deaf, featuring it way back in May 2012. So we were pretty excited to hear that Black Walls (aka Kenneth Reaume) was back with a brand new album, Communion. Unfortunately, the album was recorded in tragic circumstances, in the aftermath of the death of Reaume’s father. The recording process appears to have become a kind of meditative experience, a form of personal exploration in response to the grief that Reaume doubtlessly experienced. He says, “Recording these songs, I found myself exploring the metaphysical nature of life, my deeply religious upbringing, solitude, dependency and detachment from others, confusion/anxiety and subconsciously craving to disconnect and yearn for a more pastoral existence.”

Communion consists of just five (albiet mostly rather lengthy) tracks, each of which could be described using terms such as ambient, drone and post-rock, although such terms do little to convey the emotional heft that the album carries. The album has a tangible substance, a weight, something that Reaume describes as “a glacial, mountainous, almost monolithic quality that reflected my mood and state of mind.“ For an album recorded in his bedroom, this is no mean feat. Lo-fi bedroom pop this is not. This may be due in part to the help Reaume received from James Plotkin, who mastered the album (having previously worked with bands such as Sunn O))), Isis, Earth and Oneohtrix Point Never).

There are very few conventional lyrics on Communion. The closest thing we get are the vocals on Field Two, but even here the lyrics are abstract and opaque (’I much prefer the truth, ‘cos you know they say we’ll die by the sword’). Some of my favourite vocals on the album come on PTSD, where they have an almost hymnal quality, like some kind of monastic chant, bringing some semblance of peace to an otherwise powerful and lonely record.

For all the grief and pain on display, this is still a very beautiful album. There are occasions where the sonic landscapes feel bleak and desolate, but there are also glimpses of something else. Communion is a very human album, borne out of fear and confusion, but ultimately a testament to inner strength. It takes courage to sit down and record something like this, and it is this spirit which ultimately shines through.

You can buy the album right now as a digital download on the Black Walls Bandcamp page, or on vinyl via Pleasence Records.

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Black Walls Archives - Various Small Flames

February 2014 Roundup – A Mixtape

Black Walls – Communion