The blues are all over this gold-colored LP from Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice. On "Serpent Skin," the group absorbs some of the spirits of the South from the soil of their new Tennessee home. With banging, clanging percussion - industrial sounds of the 1800s - they sound like a chain gang singing old spirituals while hammering down spikes on a new railroad. However, the voices and words bring different imagery to mind. Tovah's (?) voice is strong and pure as she looks for redemption and admits to her human frailties, James (?) repeating her words underneath in a strained groan, evoking two young lovers dealing with original sin. The other song with vocals, "Other Void," is also great, this time sounding like a (more) demented Tom Waits. The song starts off sparse with a steady beat and James' distorted quivering, wallowing vocals. As the beat builds in tempo, the guitar takes over for the vocals, creating a locomotive chug.
While the band's vocal-ed songs on this release are some of their most successful, better instrumental jam sessions can be found on other releases. The lead guitar on "New Rational Blues" is interesting, sounding like a backwoods banjo picker covering the classical music heard on a broken old music box with a ballerina on top, creating a circular, teeter-totter melody. However, the rest of the band finds little to add to it except for punctuating dings and bangs until a flute takes over the melody at the very end of the song. While "New Rational Blues" is worthwhile listening, "Christ Picca" takes up 17 minutes on the second side and doesn't really go anywhere - as much as the band explores for one, neither a good beat nor a good groove is found. The three minute "Weird Void" that ends the first side is at least spooky, but it's nothing you'll want to return to.
With all their CDR and cassette releases, Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice's discography has been somewhat uneven, and this LP is no exception. While three of the five songs - taking up half the album - is very nice, the other half is forgettable. Being one of six full lengths planned for 2005 (at latest count), it remains to be seen whether the band is overflowing with ideas, or just overflowing with recordings.
