Wolf People – Steeple (Jagjaguwar)
4/5
By: Ben Smith
Steeple is the debut album from Wolf People, a blues/folk/rock/andawholelotelse band from London. Recorded in a converted chicken barn in West Wales, on first listen it sounds very much like an album of the past, unashamed of its penchant for 70’s rock riffs, 60’s psychedelic melodies and dreamy lyrics drenched in historic tales.
Case in point - opener ‘Silbury Sands’ recalls elements of Simon & Garfunkel, with a section dedicating to rocking out with woozy guitars reminiscent of Deep Purple and Wolf People’s own label mates Black Mountain. It’s joyously all over the place, prompting images of men with inflated stomachs and wiry beards drinking beer out of tin cans over a fire.
Yes, screaming guitars wail in and out over the space left for long, wig out episodes in night on each and every track. But though it might sound close to clichéd, there’s some magical stuff here – the flute-led riff of ‘Tiny Circle’ one of many unexpected highlights.
The name Wolf People suggests some Mowgli-like middle ground between man and beast, and there couldn’t be a more apt place for this music to exist (unless it’s in a record collection alongside Cream, The Yardbirds and Jethro Tull). It’s music proud of its almost medieval leanings and strong folk inspirations, Steeple being a surprising hit of a retro-facing record that holds together like a particularly coherent dream.
Artists in this article: Wolf People
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