Mt. Wolf #3 - Midnight Shallows

Facebook / mtwolf.co.uk

I can't quite believe its already been over five months since The Great Escape, time flies and now we find ourselves starring 'list season' (December you may call it) well and truly in the face (well give it another month and a half for me).

I make the reference because it was May which last saw me catch up with Mt. Wolf and since the London quartet have gone from strength to strength with their phenomenal debut EP Life Sized Ghosts and subsequent release Hypolight, catapulting them to the attention of many and saw them recently play a sell out date at Union Chapel. In fact the band cropped up on my non-musical friends Facebook timeline after one of them was blown away by a recent support show with Ghostpoet.

The band return with another stunner "Midnight Shallows", available now via iTunes ahead of their biggest gig to date at Heaven on the 12th November. The track encompasses everything about Mt. Wolf thus far, a sound sure to send shivers and tears in equal measure, with vocals full of heart-wrenching emotion delivered by Kate Sproule's haunting vocals backed up by ambient, glacial soundscapes that soar and glide in perfect unison. It's a formula that can't fail to win.

Mt. Wolf #2 - Hypolight

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For all the superlatives I seem to use sometimes the simplest, most frequently used are the best.

I can't think of a better word to describe Mt. Wolf and their new track "Hypolight" than beautiful. It is beautiful, of that there can be no debate. Restrained guitars, subtle electronic nuances and a beguiling vocal performance combine to something that is ineffably beautiful. Kate's Sproule's controls her voice with effortless ease, throughout; one moment ethereal, whispered bliss and the next soaring, emotive power, just stunning this.

The band play London's XOYO on February 28th (details) with an EP of the same name due soon.

Mt. Wolf - Life Sized Ghosts

Facebook /  mtwolf.co.uk

The sheer volume of blogs posting music means there is a natural competitive spirit amongst writers (not that I call myself a writer, this is a hobby) to be 'first' to post something, I try and avoid such trivialities and keep this blog as simply a journal of the music that I like, hence the rather simplistic title of the blog and the few un-written rules of posting, which is basically post what I like, when I like it.

It's that which brings me to Mt. Wolf, an act I've been aware of for probably six months but haven't written about yet, they're currently flying high in the hype machine chart (though I'm not quite sure it carries the weight it did pre-spotify - a service I still can't bring myself to use) and have amassed some 40,000 plays with the beautiful song I'm writing about today. It's a strange one, in 'buzz blogging' terms that makes Mt. Wolf old hat (Faded Glamour wrote about a demo of the song in February) but in reality the band are very much still in their infancy, with their debut EP Life Size Ghosts released on 12" vinyl via Two Sisters Records and their debut video just released (a perfect compliment it is too, check it out below).

"Life Size Ghosts" transcends beauty almost from the second it starts, flooring you with its dreamlike beauty, the haunting vocals of Kate Sproule are spine-tingling while perfectly punctuated electronic arrangements bring subtle, well thought out atmospherics throughout, the glacial beats and fluttering guitars simply defy beauty. Edging away from the ethereal melancholia is "Cry Wolf", powerful and upbeat with edgier nuances and dramatic beats on an EP of icy night-pop which blends electronica and dub with folk and hints of classical, overall Life Size Ghosts is heavenly dark, perfectly produced and just wonderful.