Review: Dire Wolves ‘Flow And Heady’
Flow And Heady is the incredible new release by Dire Wolves, or to give them their full title Dire Wolves (Just Exactly Perfect Sisters Band), and it’s a fully immersive live experience. Describing themselves as ‘cosmic free rock’, which I think is very apt considering diehard fans will already know exactly what they are getting themselves in to, and for the uneducated listener, they are truly a unique animal to discover.
The album fundamentally is a live album, but don’t let that dissuade you as you would hardly even notice, which, in part, is a true testament to modern technology, and on the other part, is the mark of an incredible band doing what they do best, in a live setting, and having it captured expertly.
Flow And Heady definitely gives you an insight in to what Dire Wolves do best, and once listened to, you will be forever changed.
The first three tracks, Flow And Heady > By The Fireside, Let The Dog See The Rabbit, and Dr Esperanto feature on the vinyl release, and with it comes additional downloadable content of a further eight tracks.
The three (vinyl) tracks, were recorded at the Festival Of Endless Gratitude in Copenhagen last summer, while the bonus eight tracks were recorded at two additional shows, four to eight at Die Friese in Bremen, and then nine to eleven at Rhiz in Vienna.
To give you some insight into Dire Wolves music, there are a couple of words touted regularly; psychedelic, and spiritual, and there’s also elements of improvisation on these works of sonic art, which are just incredible, it’s more an experience then just merely listening to the music.
To put it in to context the best way I know how, would be to run you through the tracks on the vinyl, and go from there.
The level of musicianship is absolutely spellbinding, it’s as if we’re being propelled along sonic highways…
Track one, Flow And Heady > By The Fireside, is a tune where, for maximum envelopment, you need to turn the lights down, and lay back, to fully experience this sonic journey. It’s hypnotic and trippy. There are elements of acid jazz in the mix, and ethereal vocal sounds, moments of screeching violin, and it feels more like an art piece, or a jam, then it does a structured piece.
The level of musicianship is absolutely spellbinding, it’s as if we’re being propelled along sonic highways. At times, the vocal is that of a wailing banshee, which reverberates through me, it’s a sensual trip, expertly constructed by seasoned musicians. It is perfect for those smoky nights, dimmed lights, and ambient cruises, its captivating and otherworldly. As the pace slows, carried on the wind we hear whistles of pipes, like that of a snake charmer, teasing us from our comfort zone, tantalising us on, to the chimes of a higher consciousness.
Track two, Let The Dog See The Rabbit, flows perfectly on from the previous track, and is a slightly heavier, meatier track, there’s a shifting of pace, into more of a free flow progression. Vibrantly the guitar takes the lead, and does the talking, there is no need for words, they would only complicate things right now. With this whole experience you feel like you are within the band, not merely a bystander, but witnessing art being made from the very heart of the beast.
By the time track three, Dr Esperanto, is on the horizon, we are in cruise control, Dire Wolves are at the wheel, and they know where we’re going, and where they’re leading us, it feels like a spiritual enlightening from beyond the bonnet.
Just from these three tracks it’s obvious to see, and hear, the level of musicianship Dire Wolves have, and it’s truly a treasure to behold, it’s engaging, astounding, and mystifying.
At this point things shift over to the download content, and there’s another incredible eight tracks of pure indulgence, and in total, there’s just over two hours of music over the vinyl and the downloads. It is an incredible amount of music to behold, and it needs to be experienced fully to be appreciated, these mere words on the page wouldn’t even do justice to the true fulfilment that would be achieved when witnessed first-hand.
Label: Cardinal Fuzz Records | Feeding Tube Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram
Scribed by: Lee Beamish