Wolf Alice – ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’
Well, well, well, it’s Wednesday again, and your friends at Far Out are on hand to help you forget the prelude of Monday and Tuesday and concentrate firmly on the looming weekend wonders that lie in wait. What better way to do that than with a huge chunk of British beef in the form of Wolf Alice and ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’.
I won’t need to bore you with the impending meteoric rise Wolf Alice are set to undertake in 2014. You only need to type Wolf Alice into a search engine to find that out.
What I will tell you about is the intensity of their newest release, ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’, the first release from forthcoming EP Creature Songs and how Ellie Roswell and co may just be about to start something new.
The buzz surrounding the band is building, and, for the most part, this is down to their impeccable sound and style, which merges Americana-laden grunge with more contemporary Britpop. They add a floral flourish to an otherwise masculine sound, making androgyny for all to enjoy.
Roswell’s vocal performance leaves the taste of Elastica in my mouth. While at points angelic and otherworldly, it still grinds and gnaws away at the band’s meat and bones.
Playing off Jeff Oddie’s chunky riffs, Wolf Alice has created a sound that blends ethereal and stylish verve with anarchic vigour—a winning combination.
It’s a combination that once started a certain 1990s movement that spawned nearly 20 years ago to the day. To all those who are cynically sneering at the thought of a Britpop return, well, don’t look back in… Sorry, I can’t do it.
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