The new album from Wilma Archer rocked my socks. The release, part jazz and part something else entirely, dropped on Domino on Friday and it swings. Bold and brash, it's also the sort of release that pushes the boundaries of multiple genres at one time. A Western Circular is artistic but it's accessible.
"Scarecrow" is moody and atmospheric, a bit of Mingus here, as well as a bit of Barry Adamson, while "Last Sniff" marries a jazz hook with a rap from MF DOOM. The overall effect is a bit like that album Ghostface Killah did a few years ago with BadBadNotGood, but it's a bit more spry than that. Elsewhere, "The Boon", one of two songs here with Sam T. Herring from Future Islands, is supple and moody. Wilma Archer uses this entire release to craft songs, like "Cures and Wounds", that feel like bits of a soundtrack at times, but the music is fairly effective throughout. "Decades", for example, is more classic soul than anything else, but it's the clear highlight here.
A Western Circular is nearly impossible to describe but if you sample the tracks online, you'll see what I've been trying to say up there. I think the Barry Adamson comparison is an apt one, with Adamson as well making music that felt like the backing to a film of his own imagination. I think the same could be said about lots of what's here. If you are an attentive listener, this is a journey you'll be happy to undertake, whether you can describe this in words or not.
A Western Circular is out now via Domino.
More details on Wilma Archer via the official website, or official Facebook page.
[Photo: Steve Gullick]