Austinist CD Review: Peter and the Wolf Lightness

Peter and the Wolf are a ragtag bunch of troubadours fronted by Austin's (or the World's according to Pitchfork) heralded Red Hunter. We say fronted, but Hunter tends to do most of the writing and picks up musicians as he goes, finding folks in the towns through which he tours. These strikingly hip transients are known for their colorful performances—tours by sailboat, shows in cemeteries—and their dire allegiance to the Angel of Light. The Worker’s Institute, home to Sigur Ros, recently picked up P&tW and released Lightness, their first official full-length, on Tuesday. Timely.

Lightness has a Guided By Voices quality to it, 16 tracks of low-finess, and it showcases Hunter's greatest attribute—songwriting. He keeps it short and sweet most of the time, crafting memorable, folksy tunes around lyrics reflecting on the sea, traveling, love, loss and loneliness. Most engaging are the ethereal vocal harmonies between Hunter and local musician Dana Falconberry—the duo lulls us into a dreamy, shadowy otherworld ("The Ivy"). These dulcet vocals accompanied by soothing instrumental harmonies make Lightness a delightful listen.

At times, though, the preciousness of some of the lyrics ("God I’m glad I met you / life was getting old / but you like me and my dark poetry / and you're happy when it's cold") and the purposefully compromised production quality of the recording seem too affected. And while no album is entirely free of influence, sometimes Lightness sounds more like a tribute than an original offering. Hunter echos Lennon in "Captain Dan"; he pays respects to Waits's vox in "Canada" and "Midnight Train"; he brings to mind Sufjan (gulp) Stevens in "Safe Travels." In "Black Saltwater," Hunter conjures up Jandekian demons, wailing off-key bluesy yowls over an out-of-tune stringed instrument. This song begs the question of purpose. Cred? Alignment with inaccessible savant garde? It doesn't seem to fit. The result of these various styles is a collection of songs (though good songs!) as itinerant as Hunter claims to be.

There are several instances in which the tip-o-the-hat is effective and even humorous. One in particular is the album's closer and namesake, "Lightness." Sonically, the song is a sad farewell, sparse and slow. But if the vocal melody were given an adrenaline shot and placed over some bouncy drums and a chiming guitar, we'd have ourselves a lost Smiths b-side.

But let's not dwell on something that will work itself out over the next few albums. Hunter and his band effectively create moods, accepting the sadness and seeking to overcome it with innocence. Lightness, an ambitious outing, chronicles Hunter's journey through sound experimentation in search of a fit. And despite the difficulties with cohesion, Lightness remains an enchanting recording that will introduce to a wider audience Hunter's ability to write beautifully haunting music.

"Safe Travels" [mp3]
"Lightness" [mp3]

Peter and the Wolf [official site] [myspace]

Band photo by Aubrey Edwards

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By monte in Arts & Entertainment on November 2, 2006 1:45 PM 0 Comments

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Paige

I imagine that it's pretty difficult in this day and age to create any sort of album within a moderately recognizable genre and be truly novel. The difficulty Peter and the Wolf seems to have, as far as I can tell, is a boldly identifiable set of influences worn proudly on a gingham sleeve, compounded with a desire to break out of all that with an innovative sound.

Unfortunately, that kind of thing is nearly impossible, regardless of how often he tours or what sort of accolades he receives (or doesn't receive) on the internet. It's not necessarily an insult to the artist to intimate that he's derivative. Who isn't?

90% of musicians operate in "relative obscurity" - that doesn't mean that everyone is going to like what they have to offer, nor does it mean that their offerings are any more or less relevant than, say, the shit my toddler records on his Casio.

What I read was a quite fair review of an album that, while blossoming with songwriting skills and creativity, is perhaps more derivative than original, and I believe Monte made it perfectly clear that he doesn't necessarily consider that a fatal flaw.

Oh, since when is name-dropping The Smiths some attempt at cred? My mom listens to them, when she's sad about losing at Bingo, and I would certainly hope that anyone browsing this website and full of opinions about the latest Peter and the Wolf album isn't shocked to hear that there was a Morrissey project prior to his solo work. The Smiths reference bothered you but "Jandekian demons" didn't phase you a bit, huh?

There's no accounting for taste. Incidentally, I applaud this review and have screen-capped it so I can print it out and put it in my wallet. Not so incidentally, I want to have Monte's children.

Diego

Being that i happen to think this is one of my favorite albums as of late, and that it truly deserves all the attention and praise its been getting, I really have to disagree with you saying the album sounds more like a tribute album than an original work. I don't think any of the references you made to Red's songs sounding like Lennon, Waits, or Sufjan Stephens hold any bearing at all(especially for those songs).

And honestly, what are you going for with saying (in reference to Black SaltWater )

" This song begs the question of purpose. Cred?"

.... this guy has been touring his ass of in relative obscurity for the past 3 years and you question his sincerity in what he's putting on the album.. thats just fucking ridiculous.

and then how you manage to name drop the Smiths is beyond me .. (if you change the vocals, add bouncy drums and chiming guitar to any song its going to sound like the Smiths.).. who's the one here putting up random shit just for cred?