Sky Musings:
When I first heard Sky Musings, its eccentricity was like nothing I’d ever heard before – it was a thrill! The song originates from the poetic lyrics with which Ellie Rowsell tells the story of watching a film that brings back painful memories from her past. She whispers frantically about opportunities missed and her fear of the world. In fact, the last verse describes her wish to escape from it entirely… to become one with the sky and never come back. Although I doubt the song is autobiographical, the panic feels so real that it is almost distressing. The “acting” is so genuine that she says she has to stop to drink a glass of water mid-song! The two most intense moments are at the very start and the very end. Your heart almost stops when Wolf Alice’s iconic rush of noise that introduces the track ends abruptly, before a deep breath signifies the start of a whirlwind experience. Thumping drums, threatening bass and synthesisers like warning sirens maintain the hectic and claustrophobic atmosphere that the song is all about. It is when Ellie Rowsell’s character discovers “new oneness”, her singing becomes ethereal and the synthesisers start to climb higher and higher that Sky Musings really reaches its peak: she no longer has to convince herself she is happy… she is ready for change. The song’s harsh atmosphere is so powerful, you come out feeling like you’ve completed a breath-taking journey.
Formidable Cool
It is that grungy, funk-infused guitar riff that initially entices you into Formidable Cool. Yet, don’t let the song’s groove and vintage style fool you - the track quickly develops into a rage not unlike Yuk Foo. One of the most vocally versatile tracks on the record, it begins with Ellie Rowsell ominously whispering into the microphone before zealously screaming the words of the chorus. Everything is taken up a notch as Joff Oddie slams down roaring guitar chords and menacing chromaticism in spirit with the outrage of the vocals. The chords ascend dramatically during the final section of the song as Ellie screeches with more and more distain. This track was actually inspired by the book, The Girls by Emma Cline, in which a young girl becomes initiated with a Mason-like cult. Yet, the song can just as easily apply to anyone who has ever been taken advantage of and feels betrayed. After all, the lyrics do seem to tell the story of a one-sided relationship filled with deceit. It is Theo Ellis and drummer Joel Amey that really bring the song to life, the steady rhythm somehow making your insides crawl. The final touch is the detail that has gone into the production of the extra sounds and effects that develop the unsettling atmosphere.
Space & Time
Space and Time is simply about being in a bad place. The song’s lyrics are inspired by Ellie Rowsell’s coping mechanism: imagining how ridiculous you would seem to your future self. It also talks about needing time alone and feeling you’ve lost control of your life. The rawness of these emotions is clearly embodied by the instrumentation of the track: forceful chanting, pounding guitar and the screech of electronic feedback. With moments of unbridled energy followed by reluctant desolation, Wolf Alice have created the perfect anthem for declaring the right to feel down… And yet it is so simple! By not overcomplicating their tracks, the band show their true talent for song writing. My only criticism is its length, 2:30 leaving you yearning for more.
Sad Boy
Sad Boy is a boundary breaking, genre-fusing horror movie soundtrack… so it’s not at all surprising that Ellie Rowsell’s fist envisioning of the song consisted of bizarre vocal harmonies and detuned guitars. Now, the track resembles a folk song with a heavy drum beat (for about the first four bars and then all hell breaks loose!) Wails of strange sound effects cut through the frontwomen’s harrowing observations of overthinking, and its resultant pain. The little intricacies of the instrumental sections – that strange whirring sound, Rowsell’s rapid breathing – all contribute to a track that although, unnerving, is not entirely supernatural. Fans of Wolf Alice admire their open discussion of complex themes such as anxiety and depression; soon, Ellie appears to be howling in anguish. The track’s direction rapidly changes as brooding synthesised bass provides the backdrop to Ellie’s eerily distorted mutterings. In true Wolf Alice style, the song finishes with chant-like repetition that begins in an unsettling pitch-shifted voice. Before long, it is joined by the frontwomen and her intermittent screams, cries and whispers. Each of Joff Oddie’s guitar riffs perfectly educe feelings of life’s constant bombardment, with their melodies, reiteration and the constant building of distortion towards the final climax. The last riff, however, is sung by Ellie Rowsell – the song ending just as disconcertingly as it begun.
St. Purple & Green
This song’s title originates from a tune Ellie Rowsell’s grandma sang to her about a place filled with her favourite colours: "The Purple and Green". The band had to fight hard to get this track recorded, and thank god they did, as it resulted in a stirring tribute to her grandma, recounting her descent into dementia, death, and hopefully the mystical land she once talked of. It begins with a choir of Ellie Rowsells singing earnestly about their love and admiration for their ‘nana’. The acapella is quickly broken by heavy, swooping guitar sound which dies away to create a wistful and pensive verse. The track is completed by Joff Oddie’s beautiful guitar riff in the final section, over which Ellie whispers about her grandma going to heaven. However, as always, it is the track’s atmosphere that really sets Wolf Alice apart: ethereal vocals, an epic ending and the constant swell of unusual sounds and synthesisers.
After The Zero Hour
The penultimate track has some of the simplest instrumentation on the record: mystical fingerstyle guitar, a Mellotron synthesiser, and a chorus of voices. Just like Planet Hunter, After The Zero Hour explores life’s dramatic changes, yet in a more positive light. The initial verses describe, through the use of natural, religious and celestial imagery, a girl who has “lost control over her world” by making the wrong decisions. It goes on to show her embracing life and learning from her experiences rather than breaking down. As well as being a beautiful folk song, and an important moral message, the track could be referring to the struggles of working in the music industry. Ellie Rowsell described the song as a “vomit of emotion” – perhaps, she meant it was an outpouring of how she dealt with her sudden success. If not, it’s a wonderful fairy-tale.
Visions Of A Life
An impressive eight minutes long, Visions of A Life is really three songs in one. The huge guitar riff that begins the track, followed by a verse sodden with bass guitar, gives the track a menacing air. The whole song feels like a protest against society’s norms, with Rowsell’s discreet mutterings showing the speaker’s exasperation at being confined in a life she never wanted. The second “song” is introduced by an equally threatening and dissonant interlude. The tempo increases whilst Ellie cries, “Visions of A Life”. The title track is the culmination of every theme on the album, each idea being a “vision of her life”. With the most poetic lyrics of the record, it explains how everyone’s lives are a mixture of the lives that have crossed their path: all that love, loss, desperation and imagination makes you who you are. At the same time, the track urges you to be who you want to be. By turning Shakespeare’s words on its head, Ellie declares “My journey ends when my heart stops beating” – these other lives shouldn’t have to “cut (her heart) in half” but help her lead a life she needs. The ambitious track only heightens in tension and drama, with further extensive guitar solos and Ellie’s constant screeches of enragement. Yet, the second chorus is much slower and more subdued than the rest of the track. It consists of the speaker offering advice to someone who is happy to conform. “Stay as you are”, she explains, not wishing anyone to have to repeat the death-filled murmurings that began the song. It doesn’t take long for Wolf Alice to regain their furious attitude, concluding the album expertly with pure rock and roll, merged with their life experiences.
Visions of a Life is available on all streaming services