For the most part, Warpaint’s followup to 2010’s The Fool lacks the sultry hypnotism of
their debut, instead opting for a more direct approach; at least, that’s how things seem at first. Much has been written
on how Warpaint would focus on
drummer Stella Mozwaga’s ground-floor involvement, representing the Los Angeles
foursome in the purest sense (hence the eponymous namesake). From the get-go, the spotlight shines brightly on
Mozwaga, kicking off with “Intro”- a nearly two-minute percussive showcase
surrounded by layers of groovy, ambient feedback. It’s a nifty mission statement as to what lies ahead; however, it it
isn’t long before we’re once again mired in Warpaint’s tradmark haze of slithery
momentum and elegantly jarring time signatures.
Produced by Flood on Rough Trade Records and mixed mostly by
the legendary Nigel Godrich, Warpaint’s first four tracks are so mysterious and
exciting- highlighted by single, the Blonde Redhead-ish, “Love is to Die”- that
it’s initially frustrating when the pace threatens to circle itself. However, a languid midsection is buoyed by
“Disco//Very”, an LCD Soundsystem by way of Alice Glass-type banger, a track so damn
enjoyable that it manages to prop up the album's second half while
simultaneously emphasizing it’s flaws. These missteps are further clarified when more closely evaluating Warpaint's predecessor. With The Fool, the band cast no illusions about the distance they kept from the listener; their debut was an ethereal siren song of
cemetery foreplay. Warpaint, on the other
hand, is an album with an identity crisis- it wants to embrace, but only at
arm’s length. And while, on paper, this may sound like an intriguing concept,
the ambition of Warpaint’s execution can occasionally exceed it’s grasp. The
result is an equally fascinating and frustrating album that struggles to
overcome a tendency to mute it’s most powerful moments.
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