Customer Reviews

The Fool

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Warpaints' track "Undertow" has been placed on so many music blogs over the past few months that a referral to the Anti Monopolies Commission would have been in order. Rough Trades' further decision to stream this new album on the huge music blog aggregator Hype Machine means that this album is well trailed and on the evidence of the music brilliantly constructed and produced.

Warpaint are female rock group from Los Angeles comprising Emily Kokal (vocals/guitar), Theresa Wayman (vocals/guitar), Jenny Lee Lindberg (bassist/vocals), and Stella Mozgawa (drums/keyboards). "The Fool" is their debut album hot on the heels of 2009s EP "Exquisite corpse" and a very nice separate cover of David Bowie's "Ashes to Ashes". This band defies stereotypes and "The Fool" is no LA blast of summer fun like the joyous recent product of their contemporaries Best Coast, indeed you sense that P. J. Harvey LPs may have been strewn around the recording studio.

While Warpaint smear their influences on their sleeves the fact remains that they are pretty much impeccable as sources. Combine this with the fact they inhabit a space which is not sardine packed with bands and their musical slant is wholly intoxicating. The aforementioned single "Undertow" is jammed full of nuance that hints at Nirvana and the Pixies and yet is distinctive enough to stand as a great song in its own right. The style is very sweet and yet has a icy skeletal quality to it which makes them a much darker prospect that say Beach House, but at the same time both bands still retain a dreamy pop quality. Opener "Set your arms down" confirms this and steadily builds through a tidal bass to five minutes plus of glorious atmosphere psychedelica, jam packed with ghostly vocals and tight harmonies. Even more darkly sinister is the wonderful "Majesty" a six minute slow burner full of protruding electronic warps and a bass straight out of the Kim Deal handbook. It frankly makes our London chums the XX sound just a bit safe and signals the arrival of a very exciting prospect. The vocals in "Composure" start off almost as a playground chant in the distance (indeed I thought someone was shouting up the stairs when I first heard it) but moves into a clipped guitar workout with echoes of the Cure given equal prominence in the mix with Telow's vocals.

There is more to this band however than meets the eye as evidenced by two great highlights the ethereal piano driven ballad "Lizzies'' Heart Murmur" a shimmering slice of pop music which suggests cinematic slow core soundscapes. Similarly the beautiful show stealing acoustic song "Baby" is so sparse you feel it could break but expands gently over four minutes into a lovely piece sung with true grace by Telow and which will resonate with all who listen to it.

Warpaint have produced in "The Fool" a mercurial debut album which cries out for your attention. It is a brazenly confident piece of work and for a first major outing characterised by a welcome absence of foolishness. Rough Trade has discovered something here which is very special and Warpaint are one of the rock revelations of the year.

I came across Warpaint's music at the NPR music website & immediately fell under their spell. The band is all female and has a dark neo-psychedelic sound with ethereal three part harmony vocals.

A Los Angeles quartet dealing in sparse, atmospheric art rock, Warpaint originally consisted of the highly regarded screen actress Shannyn Sossamon and her sister Jenny Lee Lindberg (on drums & bass respectively), as well as Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman on vocal and guitar. Sossamon left due to conflicts with her acting schedule and was replaced by Stella Mozgawa. There songs often establish a meandering, atmospheric guitar grooves that are a sharp contrast to the their delicate otherworldly vocal arrangements. Unfortunately "The Fool" wasn't released until the end of October, so this worthy album wasn't included on the notable 2010 music lists of many cultural opinion makers. "The Fool" did make the Top 10 Albums of 2010 at my own humble music blog at the Music Banter forum. NPR also gave "The Fool" an honorable mention on it's year end summary.

You may also want to check out Warpaint's earlier self produced EP, "Exquisite Corpse" which contains the spellbinding song "Billie Holiday" which is my favorite Warpaint song to date.

I've been told that "The Fool" doesn't quite capture the power of their mesmerizing live performances, so I'll have to buy the ticket and check this band out when and if they make a tour stop in my town. Meanwhile, I can't say enough good things about Warpaint's debut album on Rough Trade. I've played it constantly on my WMP jukebox and Zune portable player over the past two months.

NOTABLE TRACKS:

Set Your Arms Down
Undertow
Bees
Lissie's Heart Murmur

this is really one of the better if not the best new band around at the moment! while they re being hyped a lot they deserve it! this all zgirl group from los angeles plays spacy music that is heavily influenced by bands from the late 80's and early 90' s such as Lush. However on record at least they play slower and somewhat less loud. the whole tecord has a vrty arty feel and is extremely accomplished for being a debut by duch a young band! quit spectacular.

Four cooler-than-you girls, three from Cali and and one from (I'm guessing) England, took the latter part of a decade to perfect their shoegaze-meets-prog sound, the result being their debut full-length, The Fool. (One of the gals, drummer Stella Mozgawa, is new. Actress Shannyn Sossamon was the original drummer, followed by a number of stand-ins.) The longstanding core trio of friends, Emily Kokal (vocals, guitar), Theresa Wayman (guitars, vocals) and Jenny Lee Lindberg (bass, vocals), are the true California girls, Wayman being the bashful gal who offed herself in The Rules of Attraction and Lindberg the sister of Sossamon. Oh, and I think Kokal dated someone famous for a while - maybe a Red Hot Chili Pepper. So yes, these are cool girls who ooze charisma and stage presence and make very watchable music videos (check out the super cool "Stars" for proof). But who cares about actresses and videos and sisters; can the Warpaints make albums that are worth buying and listening to, or are they just good on paper and screen?

Well, for starters, this music on The Fool isn't simple stuff. These girls aren't The Long Blondes, The Dum Dum Girls or The Vivian Girls. Warparint are heavily influenced by a number of the best bands from the 1980s - the ones who made big, dense productions. Bands like Cocteau Twins, The Sundays, Kate Bush, Dead Can Dance and even The Cure, amongst others, come to mind as The Fool's nine tracks pass by. The songs, all made to set hazy midnight moods, rely heavily on their constant drone and powerful vocals, which, in a way, often remind of The Bends-era Thom Yorke. Oh, and sometimes Bjork, depending on who sings (Kokal is the lead, but everyone keeps a mic close by).

My introduction to Warpaint was through a very well made video for an EP track called "Elephants.) That song, along with the aforementioned "Stars" and another cut called "Billie Holiday," put Warpaint on the national map, landing them not only solid label interest, but also summer festival gigs and photo-hungry media coverage. When on stage you can feel their young, excited energy, even when they're playing it cool (which is pretty much all the time) you can feel their love for their craft. They had the look, talent and appeal needed years ago to get big attention, but, like any good band, took their time to really perfect their complex sound. The proof is everywhere on the often epic, groove-heavy The Fool, feeling like a Throwing Muses record made for both shoegaze and Bjork fans. I'd even argue that Warpaint could do well with the jam band crowd, given how important the quartet's chemistry is to their sound.

A fine debut that will easily earn them Warpaint a cult following made up of hip 80s AOR fans, college girls and horny boys, The Fool isn't quite everything I'd hoped it would be after hearing last year's excellent Exquisite Corpse EP. Warpaint made the rookie mistake of leaving some of their best songs off their all-important record in favor of material recorded more recently, after the introduction of Mozgawa. And while that move might bring the breaking band the solidarity they think they need before entering the spotlight, the result is a debut that could've so easily been twice the record. All that said, The Fool is a sturdy introduction to a band whose best days are ahead. My recommendation: see 'em live in the small clubs before they hit the big theater circuit.

I was lucky enough to catch Warpaint when they rolled through my hometown a few months back. I gambled on buying "The Fool" only after hearing "Undertow" and it paid off dividends. I became and instant fan and had to see them live. They put on an amazing show and my fandom was further reenforced. So what makes Warpaint so good? For me, they're just a perfect blend of many things that I love with flashes of elements completely unique and unexpected. I love how many of their tracks can have you in a trance and then out come the Joy Division like bass hooks and the track is taken to a new direction, a new life. The way they go from hypnotic shoe gaze lullaby to a full on post punk jam is a thing of absolute beauty. "The Fool" is a fantastic album and is currently being worn down from me listening to it so much. If you're a fan of Mazzy Star, The Cure, Cocteau Twins, You know..the dark left of the dial type stuff..you need to be here. This album was made for you. These ladies are immensely talented and I'm salivating just thinking of what they will do on their next record. Pick up "The Fool" and let the music surround you.

Favorite tracks:

Undertow
Composure
Majesty
Bees

Warpaint are a band that follow no one else's lead.

They are the only band I know that can express emotion with pin sharp precision.

I love them.

GautheWise

If SoCal bands Best Coast and Wavves embodied Summer, then this album is surely Winter.
Flowing, majestic, occasionally sharp for only a brief instant before it dissapates into a melody (such as standout tracks Undertow and Shadows). PJ Harvey,The Sundays and Cocteau Twins are in here, although the music certainly stands alone from it's influences. Songs such as Baby even channel a little Hope Sandoval, from the Mazzy Star days.

The production is top notch. Instruments layered with swirling vocals, harmonizing but without being too bright or bubbly. Subdued but effective and driving drumwork.
My only desire unmet is an odd one...a raucous , straight forward, rocking tune somewhere on this album. Just a throwback song, without the multi-layered production. I only ask because it's obvious to me that this band could seriously kick out the jams if they wanted to. I realize it wouldn't go with the concept or sound of this album at all but you can hear it in there, just dying to get out (as in the opening bass line from Composure)

I am obsessed with Warpaint. 'The Fool' is an amazing album, if you enjoyed 'Exquisite Corpse', then I highly recommend this album. They've stayed true to their original sound, and only the additional effects and tweaks enhance it. My favorites include Set Your Arms Down, Warpaint, Bees, Undertow, and Majesty. My favorite song to date of theirs is Beetles.

I was prepared to be disappointed by this release. I was lucky enough to catch Warpaint twice in early October of 2010. Once opening for Sonic Youth, and in front of a crowd drunk and ready for noise, this quartet delivered a tight, ambitious, challenging set that not only engaged our minds but also kept our feet moving. And even though I planned on sleeping in the next day, I forced myself to the Austin City Limits Festival at 11:45 the following morning to catch their festival set, and what they lacked in late night intensity, they compensated with soaring harmonies, intricate guitar lines, and a handful of powerful songs that essentially served as a morning jolt of caffeine that propelled me through the rest of the day.
This album manages to capture both those aspects of Warpaint- high energy attack and subtle majestic melodies- while introducing even more facets of the band. King Crimson guitar lines that melt into Terry Riley-esque minimalist jams that strut into early Talking Heads funk that find grace and beauty underneath incomparable vocals that pack a punch when you pay attention to the impasssioned, somewhat jaded lyrics.
The opening "Set Your Arms Down" sparses out each of these elements and sets the tone for what follows. Simple yet engaging intro, which as the song progresses, increases in intensity as the guitar becomes more frantic, the unparalleled rhythm section kicks the music into another gear, and the soaring vocals lift the whole mood to another level. "Undertow", a killer in the live setting and possibly the most commercial track on the album, aches the heart before jumping into a layered jam that borders on outright funk. "Bees" follows this, with noises reminscent of a late '70's Bowie album, that strolls comfortably along before devolving into a noisy jam similar to something the aforementioned Sonic Youth would produce. The highlight of the album, and easily the weirdest track on the album, is "Composure". Tribal chants, confrontational lyrics, the rhythm section at its meanest, and a series of musical twists and turns, is exhilarating. Even the two acoustic numbers don't detract from the eclectic vibe and display a softer yet still edgy side to the band.
Despite all the name dropping above, Warpaint's "The Fool" sounds fresh and original and while obviously owing a debt to others, in no way sounds like a mere copy of anything else. Sometimes the hype proves to be worth it, and in this case, the bloggers were right: Warpaint is a force to reckon with and this album is a must in any serious music lovers collection.

This is, hands down, my favorite album of 2010. Set Your Arms Down, Warpaint, Undertow and Majesty are on repeat in my car. Buy it, own it, love it!