The Joy Formidable - Wolf's Law (Album Review)
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Friday, 25 January 2013 |
Written by James Goodall
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Female-fronted Welsh trio The Joy Formidable return with a follow-up to their 2011 debut offering in the shape of ‘Wolf’s Law’.
 If you’ve never listened to the band before then don’t worry, it takes one listen to the record’s strikingly optimistic opening track ‘This Ladder is Ours’, with it’s therapeutic lyrics and catchy sound, to realise that The Joy Formidable want to write atmospheric, festival-ready anthems. This however is also where if you’re an older fan of the band you might perhaps become a little cautious, the new path that the band have taken may not be what you’ve been expecting... Gone are the dank and dirty sounding guitars, the drum assaults and the thundering bass guitar usually found in The Joy Formidable’s back catalogue.
Whilst some people may not be happy with the new sound and approach that the band has taken on, it’s worth pointing out just how well the band has tackled this new territory. The melodic tracks dotted around the album and the combination of lyrically wonderful tracks combine to make something that showcases the true amount of talent that the band have.
Vocalist Ritzy Bryan creates a fantastic listening experience and whilst she still hasn’t mastered the quiet-to-loud style that you commonly associate with the genre, she has however created a unique sound with her vocals that accompanies the instrumental side of the album perfectly. Take for example the movie-soundtrack worthy ‘Forest Serenade’ that winds down with the traditional Joy Formidable drum-send off and serves as a brilliant lead in to ‘Leopard and the Lung’. All but a few of the tracks featured on ‘Wolf’s Law’ could be selected as a single but at the same time it’s difficult to pick a standout one as each has it’s own different strength and quality.
Whilst this might not sound like the band who produced eerie tracks such as ‘The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie’, you can truly appreciate with more listens just how much of an advanced, well-rounded record that The Joy Formidable have created. The songs on this album are echoing, but not distant; they connect on a personal level, before gripping and pulling the listener along with an almighty force.
With consistently strong songwriting, calming, warm and often therapeutic lyrics as well as fantastic instrumentals, the Joy Formidable have created a near-perfect follow-up record that is something a lot of bands struggle to do. Not only does it move the band forward but it also allows them to establish themselves as one of the best emerging talents within the genre in recent years.
‘Wolf’s Law’ is available now. The Joy Formidable will support the album with a UK tour throughout January, February and March.
The Joy Formidable UK & Ireland Tour Dates are as follows:
Fri January 25th 2013 - The Limelight 2, Belfast
Sat January 26th 2013 - Academy, Dublin
Mon January 28th 2013 - Solus, Cardiff
Tue January 29th 2013 - Fiddlers Club, Bristol
Fri February 22nd 2013 - Earls Court, London
Sun February 24th 2013 - Nottingham Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Mon February 25th 2013 - Cockpit, Leeds
Tue February 26th 2013 - Oran Mor, Glasgow
Thu February 28th 2013 - The Ritz, Manchester
Fri March 1st 2013 - Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
Sat March 2nd 2013 - Leadmill, Sheffield
Mon March 4th 2013 - Concorde 2, Brighton
Tue March 5th 2013 - Phoenix, Exeter
Wed March 6th 2013 - Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Fri March 8th 2013 - Roundhouse, London
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