White Willow - Signal To Noise
I like to consider myself to be fairly clued-up when it comes to the international rock and metal scenes (the amount of albums and magazines I buy is the primary reason why I still haven't paid off my student debts, despite not having worn cap and gown for far more years than I care to remember), but since I took my life in my hands and signed-up as a reviewer with Room Thirteen I've been confronted with numerous CDs by apparently established bands who I've never heard of. This doesn't bother me so much if the band in question is yet another faceless troupe of metalcore wannabes from Blackpool, but in the case of Norway's White Willow I feel somehow cheated that our paths haven't crossed before.
The group's website tells me that "Signal To Noise" is the fifth release by the band since they first appeared in 1995, but I'll have to take their word for that. What I don't have to take on trust is the obvious quality of this album. White Willow specialise in an ethereal brand of neo progressive rock. Although the band's instrumentalists are clearly highly skilled, their music isn't contemporary prog in the finger-breakingly widdly Dream Theater sense; it's an altogether more dreamy, delicate proposition, wherein breathy female vocals intertwine with almost ambient guitar melodies, eerie mellotron washes and analogue synths. There's also a substantial dark folk element to their sound which often manifests through haunting woodwind passages. The closest comparison which comes to mind is England's own Mostly Autumn, but White Willow's music is imbued with a particularly Nordic melancholy.
The CD booklet includes an extremely specific list of band member duties (for example, Lars Fredrik Froislie is apparently responsible for 'Hammond C3 w/Leslie 147, Mellotron M400S, Mini-Moog model D, ARP Pro-soloist'... etc, etc, etc - and that's just the first of three lines devoted to this fellow), which is indicative of White Willow's near-autistic attention to detail. However, they are sensible enough not to let such anal concerns strangle the passion in their music, and "Signal To Noise" resonates with soul and humanity. This may be partially due to the fact that the album was recorded in a mere three weeks - apparently, they're more likely to take a year in the studio. This album may be too gentle for some tastes, but if you're looking for a CD to play quietly through your headphones at 2am in the pitch blackness, your search is over.