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RAPT

Within Thrall

UK  self-released  CD/DL  (2019)

Brighton-based Jacob Ware follows up his 2018 self-titled debut album with this EP; a collaboration with Demi Haynes of the US nu-shoegaze troupe Seashine, and with the addition of Nestor Middleton on piano.  Haynes and her lank-haired troupe have perfected the kind of The Scene That Celebrates Itself (TM Steve Sutherland) or “cathedrals of sound” – there, I said it – approach typified in the late 80s by Lush, Moose, Slowdive, Catherine Wheel, Curve, Kitchens Of Distinction, Chapterhouse and Ride, which seems to be on trend in the US recently.  Despite seeing most of those 80s bands the first time, it is a trend I have little first-hand knowledge of - I do have a soft spot for Ringo Deathstarr and Ulrika Spacek - but Seashine themselves keep a fairly low profile within it.  What evidence I have found of their work on YouTube demonstrates that their output is pretty interesting, although miles away from Ware’s previous work, stylistically at least, so at first glance I thought this might be a weird pairing.  Not so.  Yes, largely a complete departure from his first – self-titled - album, Within Thrall carries over the lush production techniques but presents material less electronic in nature, more within the genre occupied by Haynes’ musical activities; neo-folk, rock influences in other words, or gentle, US-style acoustic indie-rock.  An acoustic Galaxy 500? A more upbeat Mazzy Star?  You get the idea.

Ware states: “The starting point on the EP conceptually was WB Yeats’ poem The Song Of Wandering Aengus.  Hmmm…the poem that gave Silver Apples their name.  And gave Morton Subotnik a groovy title.  You may think this poetic reference suggests wistful, windswept pale youths pining away and/or contemplating the meaning of it all from the relative mystery of a windswept promontory, deserted jetty or distressed attic room at dusk.  And you may be correct, but those are fairly apt images, considering the faintly dark mood of the music here.  Case in point is the first song, “Girl In Black”.  A minimal arrangement of Demi Haynes’ vocals, acoustic guitar and a nice Mellotron-like flute way back in the mix.  Nestor Middleton’s pretty piano parts are treated to a smudge of delay.  The chorus of “killing me…killing me…” has a backwards pad of some sort.  “Wax And Rosewood” features Ware on vocals while Haynes contributes heavily reverbed backing “aaah”s.  “Torn” sounds to be like it should be a parallel universe My Bloody Valentine demo with its whispered harmony vocals and pseudo-MBV chord progression.  Closing track “Lighthouse” has suitably remote and weather-beaten lyrics.  Isolation, regret, letting go…

Ware imbues a similar atmosphere of vague intoxication into the music on Within Thrall as on Rapt.

But where Rapt was expansive, Within Thrall is intimate.  Only his second release under the name Rapt, this is a beautiful and well put together EP.

https://rapt.bandcamp.com/album/within-thrall