Album Review: Woven Bird - Woven Bird

Following the recent commercial triumph of Mumford and Sons, the release of Woven Bird’s self-titled EP could not have been better timed. However, the absence of an outstanding hook within the music leaves the band’s compliance to the current, and still very fresh, wave of indie-folk as their most likely path into the mainstream. It makes opener ‘Future At Last’'s bold declaration of “we are the future, the future at last” a slightly worrying forecast for the direction of the genre.

The moments where Woven Bird’s shine is through their knack for using a song to tell a story, the best example being the self-loathing tale and emotional learning-curve which revolves around ‘My Time on the Black Hills’. However, the sombre mood which Mumford and Sons effectively cast over their record is replaced here by an erratic and self-assured take upon the genre. This is especially evident on EP closer ‘25’: while supposedly an ode to getting older, the song’s sentiment of “be who you must be” is lost through the disjointed and up-tempo feel of the track. The misplaced “woah’s” at the song’s conclusion completely kill the song’s integrity, leaving the finale to be rather anti-climatic.

Despite its flaws, ‘Future At Last’ establishes a solid groove and portrays some inspiring lyrics. The words are thought provoking to say the least, as front man Matt Canning's tangential ramble of “you’ve watching too much TV in the dark” is a brief yet fantastically simple summary of modern culture. The exploitation of Matt’s lyrics will set Woven Birds for a bright future, but the blemishes which speckle this EP are hard to see past and make it difficult to enjoy.

2/5

'Woven Bird' by Woven Bird is available now.

Woven Bird on MySpace

Alex Howick