Album Review: Wolf Alice – Blue Weekend (Liberator)

0

After the steady progress of their first two albums Wolf Alice have taken a bold step forward with their new album Blue Weekend. The album combines soaring well crafted dynamics, subtle playing and stunning vocals with lyrics that fearlessly tackle a range of human emotions. 

For the album Wolf Alice, Ellie Rowsell, vocals, Joff Oddie, guitar, Theo Ellis, bass, Joel Amey, drums, worked with Markus Dravs whose track record with Kings of Leon, Florence and the Machine and Coldplay suggests they were aiming for commercial as well as critical success. I suspect this album will achieve both these aims and appear in many “best of 2021” lists.

The album brings together eleven songs that have the loose arc of a relationship break up. This concept is reinforced by the bookending of the album with the tracks The Beach and The Beach II and the videos for each song that build into a complete short story. To date, there are eight song videos available on You Tube and they share the rich colour palette of the album cover.

The Beach starts the album with a muted acoustic guitar strum and Rowsell’s first words “When will we three meet again? In thunder, lightening, in rain” reference Shakespeare’s Macbeth. This sets the tone for an unsettling song where the gradual addition of layers of instruments over the constant guitar strum builds up the intensity. In the video Rowsell arrives home alone in a very reflective mood, pours herself a drink, takes a candle lit bath and generally drowns her sorrows. As this is an evening with a blue sky it emphasises the feeling that what we are seeing is the end of something rather than the beginning.

As soon as the last note of The Beach has died out we are plunged straight into the pulse of Delicious Things. Over a relaxed drum beat and lush orchestration Rowsell tells a story of being in Los Angeles, trying to make it music industry and realising it is not as glamorous as she thought it would be, “…dreams slowly stalling Extravagance disguised as elegance is boring.” The musical dynamics of the song move to complement the spoken word, almost nursery rhyme, verses and swooning multi tracked vocal choruses before ending with a very jazzy vibe.

Despite the songs lyrics firmly placing the narrator in Los Angeles, the Delicious Things video is of Rowsell in a taxi, in London, heading out for the night. On her journey we are shown other people who have occupied the taxi and them arguing, crying or passionately embracing. As such this video introduces the emotional arc of the album, people who reoccur in later song videos and also the rest of the band – who join Roswell in the taxi at the end of the video.

The video for Lipstick On The Glass starts with the band leaving the taxi and Roswell being distracted by an older woman in a shop window who is singing. The song has a building, upbeat strummed guitar as Rowsell’s vocals becomes higher pitched.  The drum beats propels the song forwards while the guitars and synthesisers create a swirling atmosphere. In the video Roswell is increasingly entranced by the older woman who by the end is singing on a small stage in the London pub that is the location of the next three videos.

For the song Smile Wolf Alice are playing as a band in a tight space in a corner of the pub. The lyrics are confident and direct “I am what I am and I’m good at it.” The video focuses on the pub landlady dealing with the demands of customers, and as the heavy crunching guitar riffs and muscular drumming drive this song onwards the landlady leaps on to the bar and takes the role of the singer.

For the melancholy love song Safe From Heartbreak (if you never fall in love) we hear some of the folk style guitar playing that Oddie showcased on his 2020 solo album To Mr Fahey. In the video Amey and Rowsell are each taking some time on their own in the pub. They are each viewed from above in dingy toilet cubicles. Rowsell smokes and sings bitterly about her hurt at having been left by someone and how she might protect herself in future. Often the song drops down to just vocals which increases their intimate personal feel. The final chorus could easily become an extended communal singalong at the end of any live performance

The third pub video is the powerful How Can I Make it OK which is sung by a man who tentatively takes to the karaoke stage. As the chunky bass riff builds he grows in confidence and throws off his coat and inhibitions to connect with the audience in general and one man in particular. The lyrics reject the self protection of the previous song, “but to live in fear, isn’t to all” as the music becomes a glam rock stomp before ending with a delicate strummed guitar.

The next two songs do not have videos yet. Play the Greatest Hits is fast, fun and punky with a rumbling bass line, energetic drumming and a wall of guitar noise. This style suits the lyrics about living in the moment “I don’t look too far forward I definitely don’t look back.” I suspect its video will be something less obvious than the band playing in the pub again but just as raucous. It is followed by the reflective, mellow Feeling Myself which starts with just bass notes to which light drumming is added. Rowsell’s voice is clear, quiet and powerful as she sings scornfully “When it’s breaking news that it takes two to love.” The growing assertiveness of the lyrics is reflected by the  slow addition of synthesisers and a reverberating guitar sound before once again the song ends calmly, this time with a lightly brushed snare drum.

In the The Last Man on Earth video Rowsell is alone and singing with just candles on view. The song has poignant and reflective lyrics about the selfishness and arrogance of humans which are sung over wistful piano chords and a spacey synthesiser drone. At the two minutes mark the music moves to a finale of drums and strings, this drama is intensified in the video where Rowsell is surrounded by flames.

No Hard Feelings is an antidote to the intensity of the Last Man on Earth. Rowsell’s singing goes up and down her range whilst Ellis goes up and down his bass fretboard. It is a beautiful and simple break up song. Similarly the video is simply Rowsell and another person meeting at a bus stop, embracing and then Rowsell leaving on the bus on her own. The lyrics end on a thoughtful, mature and forward looking focus, “And for everything that ends Something else must begin.”

The final track The Beach II leads us back to the start of the album. Musically there are synthesisers and guitars that shimmer and surge which are underpinned with relaxed percussion. The lyrics are about being with friends, the sun setting and being reassured that all is well, “Happy ever after It’s Ok.”

The videos complement the album by telling a specific story to ground the emotions of the songs in real world experiences. In addition, the use of multiple singers emphasises that whilst Rowsell sings the lyrics she is doing so in character and not necessarily recounting specific personal experiences.

On Blue Weekend Wolf Alice have established their own sound which can be described as intimate, reverb heavy and cinematic. The lyrics are confident, Rowsell’s voice is used to stunning effect (often through multi tracking), Oddie’s folk finger picking draws you in, Ellis’ bass rumbles and drives songs forward and Amey’s drumming uses his whole kit thoughtfully and powerfully to emphasise the lyrics and mood of songs.

UK, European and North American live dates have been announced. Although New Zealand tour dates are not yet scheduled when Ellis was on a call with Marty of the 13th Floor he said “100% they would be back.” I am looking forward to hearing these songs live and in the meantime recommend you head to You Tube to watch the videos to complete the story and to view live versions of these songs. There is a great three song semi acoustic set for The Current which shows the strength of the songs away from the album production.

This is a superb album by the big British band of the moment.

John Bradbury

Click here to watch the 13th Floor MusicTalk interview with Wolf Alice

John Bradbury
Latest posts by John Bradbury (see all)