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Welsh band The Joy Formidable released their second full
length album Wolf’s Law this January.
The 11 track album is uniquely varied, yet consistent, and plays to their
musical strengths while exploring a new range of sound.
Similar to Metric, The Joy
Formidable has razor sharp sound with definite cinematic qualities to it.
Unafraid of the minute long guitar solo,
TJF embrace musical complexities often abandoned by other bands within their
genre.
The album starts on a high
note (quite literally) with a winding string intro guiding deftly into ‘This ladder is ours’. Rushing guitars
and drums mix strategically with strings before moving perfectly into
impossibly catchy ‘Cholla’. Vocals on
the second track are haunting and soft and mingle beautifully with the surge of
guitar synonymous with a TJF track.
TJF master melody on ‘Tendons’, exploring a range of
instruments without abandoning thrashing and frenzied guitars. ‘Bats’ is a gritty and unapologetically
frenetic track that differs from many of the other tracks on Wolf's Law.
‘Silent Treatement’ is a standout, breaking up the harder edged
missives with a calming and acoustic driven epitaph. Ritzy Bryan sings
wistfully, creating the perfect balance between instrument and vocals. The
track is stripped down and bare, creating a stark contrast against other tracks
on the album. ‘Maw Maw Song’ follows
cohesively, starting off slowly before launching into a similar aesthetic seen throughout
the rest of the album.
Many of the tracks on Wolf’s Law sound like the perfect
soundtrack to an action packed film. They are relentless and unyielding and
have cinematic story telling capabilities. Though they are largely similar in
their composition, each track offers nuance and enough variety not to come off
as tedious of repetitive. Unlike many bands, TJF does not rely heavily on
layering instrument upon instrument. The nature of their sound is harder edged
by does not lack in complexity in a way that some of their peers have yet to
master.
Wolf’s Law was released January 22nd 2013 and is
available for download on itunes and Amazon.
The Joy Formidable//Silent Treatment
