Gravenhurst: The Western Lands

GravenhurstI started listening to this record last week. It took a night with a pretty girl, dim lights and sea smashing against rock outside my window in Vancouver to jar me out of the travel coma I’d arrived in. Canadian countryside in the summer made me realize the gentle and diverse beauty of this 4 piece from Bristol.
I haven’t heard previous Gravenhurst, so I won’t compare by way of ‘deparcher from this’ or ‘the coming into of that’. But I will recommend you listen to it if you like poetic, poignant, sometimes sad, sometimes grim, always mysterious and bewitching music. The Western Lands starts with finger picked guitars and moody composition, touches on psych-ish rock, haunting instrumentals, and soft love-in folk style songs. The record is sweetened immensely by reverby double picking, and stunningly smooth vocals at times reminiscent of Kevin Sheilds and Pink Floyd. There are elements of beach, dark plains and tundra. The Western Lands look and play an amazing conclusion to this summer :: Gravenhurst/The Western Lands - Warp/Rough Trade.