Wednesday
Bleeds
**** out of *****
On their breakout album Rat Saw God, the Asheville, North Carolina based band Wednesday mixed loud feedback with pedal steel creating a "country-gaze" style that was exciting. On their follow-up, Bleeds, they shift gears again, not abandoning their country side, but pushing it more into the background in favor of alt-rock, punk and hardcore. This band feels vibrant, alive and ready to try anything on the successfully weird record.
Led by Karly Hartzman (vocals) with Xandy Chelmis (lap steel, pedal steel), Alan Miller (drums), Ethan Baechtold (bass, piano), and Jake “M.J.” Lenderman (guitar), who has retired from his role as touring guitarist to focus on his solo career, but remains a part of the band creatively. Wednesday once again worked with producer Alex Farrar and the sound is pristine, loud, with each instrument ringing out clearly.
"Reality TV Argument Bleeds" opens things as the players build to a huge explosion around chugging riffs and vibrating sounds. That shift from soft to loud continues for "Townies" with easy strumming grooves, before big soaring riffs pair with Hartzman screaming after singing about small town dramas before another small town tale, "Wound Up Here (By Holdin On)"continues the hard rocking vibe.
Lyrically Hartzman offers up a sense of change with a southern gothic attitude that feels unsettling on purpose. When the words truly connect with the music there is a dynamic synchronicity that elevates both to something greater than their parts. The specific tales never follow a straight line and the music shifts and bends as well, the feeling can be off-putting at times, but that is by design and exciting, shaking up a fairly stale rock world.
The group hasn't abandoned their country charm completely, both "Elderberry Wine" and the breakup duet "Phish Pepsi" bring acoustic strums and pedal steel to the forefront while closer "Gary's II" places the listener in a dive bar with a country tinged marching drum beat and twangy strings. The band feels more expansive though when they are rocking out, like on "Candy Breath" which warbles with rumbling bass and layers of guitar in Smashing Pumpkins like fashion.
One of the best efforts is "Pick Up That Knife" that pairs twinkling strings with huge noise hardcore breaks in wild fashion. "Wasp" cuts out all the pretense and goes straight for the jugular with the hardcore punk straight ahead slamming. These aggressive additions give some extra meat and muscle to Hartzman's lyrics.
Maybe her best is the haunting "Carolina Murder Suicide" which starts in ballad fashion before increasing the noise, tension and family abuse dynamics. While Bleeds doesn't have a must hear, stand out track like "Bull Believer", it is more solid top to bottom than Rat Saw God, which is an impressive result.
Continuing to deliver engaging, interesting and unique offerings like Bleeds make Wednesday one of the brightest bands playing today.
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