"Steeple" is the first album proper from Wolf People and represents the
emergence of a fully fledged band from the fragmented, haunted bedroom
meanderings of their Tidings singles compilation, released earlier this
year. Recorded in a converted chicken barn on the grounds of a 17th
century Welsh mansion, "Steeple" takes on a heavier sound while
maintaining the arabesque electric guitars, groove-laden drums and
ethereal vocals that characterized its predecessor.
Cheerfully aware of the English rock band cliché of 'getting it
together in the country', the quartet did it anyway, inspired by the
rural isolation of West Wales to conjure shifting rhythms, entrancing
folksong and smoke-fogged, riff-stoked jams. From the stuttered,
flute-led earworm hook of "Tiny Circle" to the churning, twisted ball of
metal that is "One By One From Dorney Reach", "Steeple" sounds as
massive as the setting in which it was laid to tape and is full of the
nuggets that many a rock fan spend lifetimes among crates in search of.
"Steeple" captures a band in metamorphosis, bridging frontman Jack
Sharp's earlier solo efforts and the speaker-shearing attack developed
in concert over the past four years. Now an accomplished live unit, the
quartet have shared stages with the likes of The Besnard Lakes, Dinosaur
Jr, Dungen, Endless Boogie, Lightning Dust and Tinariwen.
While the bulk of recording took place in Wales, the remainder was
undertaken during post-day job, late night sessions in Sharp's bedroom
studio. The results are both more coherent and nuanced than previous
outings, with Sharp's keen ear for a tune complemented by heady
instrumental passages that veer between dreamlike traditional melodies
and feedback onslaughts.
Proud of their heritage, both musical and cultural, Wolf People's
vision faithfully reflects the myriad environments the group's members
move between - the British countryside and various cities (Bedford,
London and North Yorkshire) - while offering a universally appreciable
set of songs for this age or any other.
2. Tiny Circle
3. Painted Cross
4. Morning Born
5. Cromlech
6. One By One From Dorney Reach
7. Castle Keep
8. Banks Of Sweet Dundee Pt. 1
9. Banks Of Sweet Dundee Pt. 2
