Weaver at the Loom - I Was Searching and I Found (Review)
Toxins roam these parts from time to time, so watch yourself / Because they might just land themselves upon your doorstep.
Album Cover for "I Was Searching and I Found" by Weaver at the Loom
It’s difficult to pinpoint the specific “toxin” that vocalists Dan Smith and Izaac Burkhart refer to throughout I Was Searching and I Found, Weaver at the Loom’s debut mini-concept EP. It may be a personal struggle, mortification, or even infamy. It’s possibly something as simple as an acknowledgment of the choices we are given — and take advantage of — in our daily lives. But in reality, the main focus of this five-track disc is to simultaneously identify life’s temporary nature and attempt to endure it.
“Buck Up, They’re Coming” introduces us to this EP with sound similar to what one suspects an Earth-invading UFO would sound like, gradually growing louder and louder. Overlapping this strange noise is an undeniably repetitive but penetrating piano layout and drum fill which slowly conquer the premier track. “The air is good here,” a faint whisper suddenly announces before confirming the lyric with a subtle inhale. From this point, a graceful, note-by-note piano arrangement and occasional pulsing guitar continue to build to the core of the song. “‘Cause I’m afraid,” blasts Smith, “and longing to be brave,” he confesses. Since the first step to recovery is admitting there is a problem, it’s appropriate that this confession ends track one.
“You Can’t Escape Them,” the album’s most radio-friendly song, begins with a quiet reaffirmation of the last track’s confession: “Call me a coward it’s so fitting / I flee from open doors.” Then the melody offers a balanced drum and guitar duet, intensifying until reaching the chorus. With each rendition, Burkhart and Smith more powerfully repeat the first line of the song until nearing the tune’s closing, in which Smith matures to the next level of recovery with this telling statement: “I want my oceans in a spoon / Something short and shallow / Something that I can swallow.”
Track three, “You Can’t Evade Them,” opens with a beautifully sketched canvas of piano and drums and lasts a suspense-building 53 seconds. Dan and Izaac then begin to describe some of the questions that are posed when they stare into the clouds. A soft chorus illuminates the background while Burkhart and Smith continue to share the curiosity of the Earth’s overall stability, comparing it to the stability of a human drowned with fears. After a few chorus repeats, the song evolves into a subtle awakening as Smith harmonizes with the a woman’s pleasant voice, saying, “Glowing knives cut right through this darkened sky / ‘Till all that’s good refills my gaze,” which tops off the canvas with a splash of unexpected shades and colors.
Static fills the void as “But You Can Enjoy Life Before and After,” track four of the album, begins. Lyrically, this song is enriched with multiple ideas and a variety of possible translations and a notion that can easily be translated loosely — which is why I’m leaving you with this poor attempt at a “paragraph” and static.
A firm brush of the ivories unveils “Without Fear of Their Return,” the closing track. “A golden moment’s come to pass / And it made a swift goodbye / Waved its hand from left to right / Saying, ‘Bye,’ ‘Farewell,’ ‘Goodnight,’” sings Smith, adding personification to the moment. After a comparison of his brave, knight-like qualities, Smith describes the blooming of morning glories, which eventually are left to weaken, die, and fade. Smith begins to re-harmonize with the aforementioned woman, both of which are satisfied with their new found courage and strength and plan to “Face all these toxic things / ‘Cause I have finally found my bravery.” After a golden moment has come to pass, the blooming climax of the song: an instrumental bridge which eventually is left to weaken, die, and fade, but nevertheless leaving the impression that the song’s story has found its strength and bravery.
"I Was Searching and I Found" gets a score of 6 out of 6 waves.
Overcoming the fears of an unknown future almost seamlessly unites the concepts represented in this tightly-knit quilt that Weaver at the Loom have stitched together. Don’t expect a warm and cozy covering of obvious beauty, though, but rather a museum-quality work of art that represents something otherwordly and worthy of study.
You can purchase a digital copy of I Was Searching and I Found from Amazon.
Matt S.:
Just bought this after reading the review. So far, it’s really great. Lots of clever twists and heavy sounds.
Posted on January 21st, 2009 at 5:47 am | #