“I am here but lost in the light,” The Wytches frontman, Kristian Bell, croons in their new release Annabel Dream Reader. The album is, indeed, lost in its stormy sea of crashing crescendos and gritty grunge. It never strays from screechy feedback, and an eerie psychedelia pervades the LP. Heavy distortion seethes throughout, creating a sort of queasy feeling that you can never quite shake.
The Wytches’ angst borders on post-apocalyptic, evoking grunge greats like Nirvana. But the towering size of The Wytches’ sound and wit are much more akin to the early 2000s post-punk revival. “Gravedweller,” with its trotting percussion and screeching guitar, feels much more like an early Arctic Monkeys release and every track features White Stripes-style mad, reeling guitar solos.
Incorporating these seemingly disparate musical elements doesn’t detract from the emotion or intensity of the album. The Wytches sound genuine and engaged on every track. “Annabel you got the loveliest eyes / that I’ve ever seen on a girl or a guy / you must be a dancer because you ruined my life / Annabel,” Bell shrieks at the end of “Fragile Male For Sale.”
The penultimate track on the album, “Crying Clown,” parodies the narrator, poetically grieving over Annabel, the “dream reader.” Bringing the album to its end, Bell opens up the track with, “I catch my breath, finally.” As Bell nears his finale, he repetitively beckons Annabel’s “perfect body.” Bell speaks as a Nabokov-esque lover, serious in intent as he lets his insanity shine in between the lines. Annabel Dream Reader pours from Bell’s volcanic mouth and blankets fans of modern (and classic) rock with this unstable, emotional state.
Voice’s Choices: “Crying Clown,” “Gravedweller”
