Warpaint
Reviewed by: Melissa Komar
Break out the incense and yoga mat. Warpaint’s second full-length album offers ten tracks and an introduction that will hypnotize you into a disconnected state of mellowness where lyrics don’t matter and ten different songs become a single jam session.
Although the sound of some of the tracks seemingly draw inspiration from other dream pop and ethereal music that came before them-the track “Biggy” instantaneously made me think of Cocteau Twins’ “Alice”-there’s something comforting in feeling comfortable with the songs . At some points, you may even feel like you’ve popped in a slightly more mature edition of any the Twilight Saga movie soundtracks.
All comparisons aside, Warpaint is a solid follow-up effort to their debut album, if just a more bare bones attempt to establish their sound. The lyrics take a backseat, being sometimes indiscernible. When the lyrics are comprehensible, they don’t seem to convey any deep meanings. On “Love is To Die”, the lead single and arguably one of the album’s strongest tracks, Warpaint makes an ambiguous attempt to address the topic of love singing, “Love is to die. Love is to not die,” much like the childhood game of luck, “He loves me, he loves me not.” Another notable track is “Son”, for simple yet haunting strands of piano.
No skipping tracks on this album. The ladies of Warpaint jam from one song to the next with seamlessness. While the lack of lyrical depth allows you to be fully immersed in the sounds and space created, it does take away from the album’s ability to leave a lasting impression with the listener. This minimalist approach is great for the meditative soul, but maybe not what you’d expect to hear on a leading radio station.
Rating: Listenable
