Windsor For The Derby - How We Lost (Secretly Canadian)
3/5
By: Sam Crawford
Sometimes, when you're at the end of a long tiring day, there's something refreshing about going home and putting on an album that emulates the feeling of starting to wake up from a long heavy sleep.
Windsor For The Derby have been around for over a decade, delivering dreamy post rock music that sounds like it's just starting to surface from winter hibernation. How We Lost is the band's eighth album, and exists in a world where Benzo would be considered an upper.
Sparse esoteric soundscapes are a key element, with hazy electronic effects and repetitive low key guitar work. The albums opener 'Let Go' eases us slowly, slooowly into the journey; the padded cotton wool suit I'm wearing gets thicker and thicker. The barren sound of the synth pad delicately rises and falls with drawn out bass guitar and a simple drum pattern accompanying it. The vocals are just as slow paced, with the main line "Grab hold of everything you know, And let go" emulating the feel of the music.
'Fallen Off The Earth' carries more energy with it, although the dreamy vibe continues to gradually envelop you. Skewed electronic sounds introduce some mellowing Sonic Youth style guitar work, with ethereal harmonic vocals singing in the background, before the synthesizer melody joins; reminiscent of Fleetwood Mac's 'Everywhere' but in a much more subdued setting.
There do seem to be some tracks on How We Lost that lose their footing and feel unsure of themselves. 'Troubles' meanders along with varying electronic effects thrown into it, but sounds like more of a mish mash of clashes than a discernable track. Although the album isn't the longest; thirty eight minutes in length, the slow wakefulness it hints at the beginning of the album starts to drift back into the land of nod.
It's evident that Factory Records has had a big influence on Windsor For The Derby; Durutti Column immediately springs to mind when listening to How We Lost, as does Joy Division, although their far reaching influence is noticeable in a shit load of bands these days. Part of me can't help but think they have missed the boat somewhat. Windsor have an obvious love of early 80's Factory, but if I want to revisit the scene; I'll put on a Factory record.
That said, How We Lost is a fairly solid album, with some well assembled tracks - it just struggles to encapsulate itself into a truly unified piece of work.
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