PROGRAMMES VOL. I: THE PLEASURE PRINCIPLE

From the first track, I thought this might be a sweet album. Woolgather begin it with the stirring and passionate 'Sticks And Stones' which kind of sets the tone. The song is carried on a lovely balance of analogue warmth in the shape of acoustic guitar and piano, with weighty electric guitar and swirling ambient keys providing a range of moods and dynamics. Fundamentally, this is the palatte that Woolgather employ for the whole album. Central to the sound is vocalist, Casey Tipton who has the angst-ridden cry of Michael Stipe (REM) and alternates his delivery between cracked and fragile, clean, and soaring, full-throated, tragic wailing. I didn't like his voice when he hits this slightly screechy singing mode, it seemed strained rather than controlled, but he brings enormous character, energy, mood and feeling to the music.

All of the tracks move from downtempo to steady, rarely racing the pulse but combining a blend of pressing weight and sensitivity of touch that suggests a comforting stroke offered to the grieving. This is not happy music, it's quite morose, haunting and despondent. Occasionally it rises to anger, but it's that frustrated anger of failing to overcome insurmountable odds no matter how hard or earnestly you try. I actively dislike this and frequently wanted to figuratively slap the band and tell them to cheer the hell up. Nevertheless, I can't deny that, melodically, these are darkly beautiful tunes that demonstrate substantial craft in their composition. There's a pioneering spirit in the progressive song structures that seeks to redefine what's possible within an alternative, prog-pop framework by being both accessible and experimental. Mix the alternative aesthetic of [b]Wintersleep[/b] with the singular invention of [b]Dredg[/b], then make it devastatingly bleak and I think you'll be someway to imagining how Woolgather come across.

There's a lyric in [i]P.S. (I Confess)[/i], that uses the adjunct 'grace and mystery'. I misheard this and thought at first that Tipton was saying 'grace and misery'. My version is actually a moment of pinpoint precision, perfect to sum up the tone of the album.

It hasn't shaken my world, but it's virtues are self-evident. It's definitely a work of considerable love and if you fancy cuddling yourself into a state of miserable abandon, then I'll recommend it to you.