Shedfromthebody : "Whisper and Wane"

This project from Finland marks another entry to the hallowed halls of ethereal hot girl music. It's almost like ASMR set to brooding post-rock. The test for this album once you put its breathy sex appeal aside is the question we here at this blog find ourselves pondering frequently is this a sound or a song? If you make the argument all sounds are songs, then place rocks in your pockets and take a cold plunge. Songs tell a story, meaning there is a dynamic arch that needs to occur. This is her fourth album so she knows how to head in this direction for  "Mooring' which proves you do not have to have a groove as long as you cause the throbbing of said sounds. It is not the album to put on when you are drinking coffee and getting ready to start your day but more of it's getting dark smoking some pot music. The precision begins to build and create a distant heaviness that is emotive, but I would not call it metal. In terms of heaviness, she falls between Emma Ruth Rundle without Thou and Zola Jesus. 

"Nail" does find a swathe of guitar setting the stage as the drums remain more distant. Things build into more of a crunch here, but it pulses in a manner that allows the vocals to rightfully take center stage. Screams echo out from behind here but are far from the focal part. "Sungzar" has a more minimalist pitter-patter of percussion as the ost-rock guitar unfolds. They are assembled in a manner that makes the most of what these elements are doing as the vocal color the background with cooing texture. There is a more metallic guitar that rises up from this. What plays to her favor is she is in a similar zip code as other female artists doing this sort of thing without mimicking any of them. "Milk" focuses more on the shifting atmosphere as it drifts along.

"Velveteen" has a languid slither as it unfurls. Her voice curls around the song and massages it well. "The Choke" does crash into a more rock dynamic, in this way it feels more like Emma Ruth Rundle, though I like hearing her dip into her alto register more here. I don't think it's fair to refer to this as doom-gaze, as post-rock feels like it's a more honest assessment of what is being done here, things are more hopeful than not on this album where a doom-gaze band would have a heavy melancholy creating its heaviness. The last song is more minimalist in it's swirling drone. Her vocal layering helps create a hypnotic effect. I'll give this a 9.5, and see how it grows on me. If you like ethereal hot girl music this is for you.

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