AKW –
Silent War EP (Independent)
AKW is Alexandra K. Wisner, ex of The Intervals and
The Tints. The latter featured Flea’s daughter Clara Balzary on drums, a link that
resulted in John Frusciante producing one of their records, and in 2005 they were
invited to play the Vincent Callo curated All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival. Then
they split. If my sums are right, Wisner was 17 years old.
What followed for Wisner was a new company, various music
projects for films, solo records and earlier this year a new album, “For No One”,
recorded with band mate Adam Cude, and completely funded by fans via
Kickstarter, in just ten days. Now, six months later, a new EP. Cut from much
the same cloth as its predecessor, “Silent War” continues the duo’s journey
into spacey folktronica, where Cude’s wispy acoustic guitar plays gently with
Wisner’s keyboards, and voice. It’s a lush, delicate combination, with a
succession of musical peaks and ethereal tones.
On “Obvious” they’re at their most experimental. A
young girl’s voice speaks half heard sentences about death and loss over drones
and simple keyboard runs, and is intermittently interrupted by Wisner’s soaring
vocals. Older listeners may shed a tear for their old Cocteau Twins albums. “Sinking
Boat” is altogether more finely structured, and its otherworldly delivery does
little to disguise a perfectly executed pop song. The title track is just as
finely balanced and its equal. If names like Cat Power and PJ Harvey feature
heavily on your playlists then AKW seems a natural next step.
Simon M.
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