Brighton, England trio Esben & The Witch have been dealt a great deal of hype in the past 12 months, largely as a result of their dark, brooding, atmospheric sound, which has not been widely attempted by many bands. Receiving a Sound of 2011 nomination from the BBC, a Next Big Thing nomination from Q Magazine, and numerous favourable reviews across the blogosphere, the group have plenty of street cred to their name, even though they only formed just over 2 years ago. And what have we learnt from hype in the past? Well, it can certainly be a burden on young bands making their way in the industry, as many can fail to live up to the thoughts of their peers and the pressure they are faced with. Luckily for Esben & The Witch, they have one thing on their side: originality.
It is hard to knock a band that attempts to break sonic ground; whether it is necessarily what the majority wants to hear or what the critics will draw kindly upon can be a hard thing for musicians to grasp when first starting out. Yet natural progression through sound is often the most important step in affirming a band’s presence amongst others. It is clear that Esben & The Witch have this in spades. The echoing guitars and vocal layers that encapsulate the dark atmospheres created on 'Violet Cries' are so engulfing, with every twist and turn validated from start to finish. Splaying crash cymbals are often kept distant in the mix, providing a light percussive element to the band’s sound that never becomes overbearing. In fact, much of the drum work on 'Violet Cries' is fairly minimalistic, often incorporating a mere bass beat, which further shows how the trio can create an ambience that is filled more so with melody rather than being carried by rhythm.
To an extent, the album as a whole can be thought of as walking through a dark forest, as the fantastically intricate artwork may suggest. To gain exemption from a forest, you must face many obstacles. Some may be eye-opening and truly memorable, while others can be hard to overcome, though at the end of the journey having left the forest, you can look back on everything you have experienced and respect the importance of both the good and the bad moments. 'Violet Cries' offers up many challenging tracks that can take a while to grasp, particularly lyrically, but more so through the ethereal vocal performance of Rachel Davies, which aids the wall of noise often produced on the album. A song like 'Chorea', interspersing sampled cymbal beats with droning guitars and operatic singing, can be summated as one of the obstacles. Yet it is still an obstacle that had to occur to make the album what it is. After all, 'Violet Cries' is made to be a challenge.
On the other hand, 'Warpath' for instance, is a far more hopeful track. Although a sinister edge remains as it trails off towards its conclusion, the guitar sounds offer a lighter element to the band’s sound. This is also witnessed on 'Light Streams', as the song treads slowly, almost as if it were time to stop near a valley, take a drink and reassess. However, the two most significant moments on 'Violet Cries' come in album opener 'Argyria' and tail-ending track 'Eumenides'; both lend themselves to a slow, progressive, entrancing build-up which then explodes into a ball of euphoria that has the same effect after many listens. The latter incorporates a synth-like dance beat to enhance its level of significance; it is almost the part of the album where you would be running from your prey in continuing with the forest analogy. Album closer 'Swans' acts as a moment of reckoning and reflection, and aptly demonstrates the end of 'Violet Cries', with a hidden message opposing nobility and monarchism.
Esben & The Witch have shared the stage with indie luminaries such as Deerhunter, The xx, Warpaint and Foals in their time together, and it is clear with 'Violet Cries' that they do not fall too far from this scene’s respective tree. Yet the band makes this dark atmospheric outlook their own, through the combination of contemplative observations and demanding declarations that are simultaneously invigorating and imposing. Yes, this is certainly a challenging listen, but by all means it is a rewarding one. And with 'Violet Cries', Esben & The Witch have certainly done all they can to gain inception onto the critics end-of-year lists in 2011, fulfilling the hype that has surrounded the early stages of their tenure.
Esben And The Witch - Eumenides
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