Wille & The Bandits – When The World Stood Still
As the title suggests, the fifth album from Cornwall based Wille & The Bandits has more than a touch of isolation/ lockdown/ pandemic blues about it – but the story behind that title and the latest album from the UK’s most innovative and boundary pushing roots-rock-blues band is a little broader scoped.
Written & recorded through non-touring lockdown and pandemic protocols, When the World Stood Still was also, fittingly, recorded in a splendid isolation, of sorts, at the famous Sawmills Studio near Golant in Cornwall
(the studio is only accessible at high tide on the banks of the river Fowey, or via an ancient trackway).
Sawmills Studio, which has played recording host to the Stone Roses (Fools Gold), Oasis (Definitely Maybe), Supergrass (In It For The Money) and Robert Plant (The Fate of Nations), to name but four of many iconic names, is also, it seems, coming toward the end of its recording life; such a realisation makes this particular recording all the more poignant.
Produced by Wille & The Bandits with Sawmills resident sound guru John Cornfield (who also engineered & mixed the album), When the World Stood Still carries a deceptively big sound, one that is in perfect symmetry and sympathy to the songs and the then current, and ongoing, situation.
'Caught in the Middle' makes for a great introduction to the multi-faceted Wille & The Bandits, who feature Wille Edwards alongside Harry Mackaill (bass, synth, backing vocals), Matthew Gallagher keys, guitar, backing vocals) and Tom Gilkes (drums, percussion).
Moving from a short but weighty Zeppelin-esque intro (which recurs throughout) 'Caught in the Middle' is
hip-hop in the verses and seriously muscly on the choruses, where Wille Edwards emphatically screams how "we’re caught in the middle!" of a nation in political turmoil and unrest.
The highly contemporary groove-rock of 'I'm Alive,' lyrically depicting someone struggling with depression but having that 'hallelujah' moment of insight (leading to the song title shout of self-affirmation), features an extended psychedelic meets eastern influenced instrumental section before returning to the emphatic declaration of the title, in the musically grooviest of circumstances.
'Without You' is one of the darkest song highlights you will find on any album this side of too many loved ones lost to an uncaring pandemic.
Rising and falling between Zeppelin atmospheres and downtempo tonal soundscapes, the eight-and-a-half minute dark-ballad floats on a sea of bluesy organ, forlorn vocality "(my whole world is made of empty spaces, forgotten places, illusive traces…") and a highly emotive, crying for those lost slide solo from Wille Edwards.
'Good Stuff,' by contrast, is the Stonesy vibe’d, bottleneck slide-blues feel-good factor of the album, rocking and rolling toward a hopefully better future.
Written & recorded through non-touring lockdown and pandemic protocols, When the World Stood Still was also, fittingly, recorded in a splendid isolation, of sorts, at the famous Sawmills Studio near Golant in Cornwall
(the studio is only accessible at high tide on the banks of the river Fowey, or via an ancient trackway).
Sawmills Studio, which has played recording host to the Stone Roses (Fools Gold), Oasis (Definitely Maybe), Supergrass (In It For The Money) and Robert Plant (The Fate of Nations), to name but four of many iconic names, is also, it seems, coming toward the end of its recording life; such a realisation makes this particular recording all the more poignant.
Produced by Wille & The Bandits with Sawmills resident sound guru John Cornfield (who also engineered & mixed the album), When the World Stood Still carries a deceptively big sound, one that is in perfect symmetry and sympathy to the songs and the then current, and ongoing, situation.
'Caught in the Middle' makes for a great introduction to the multi-faceted Wille & The Bandits, who feature Wille Edwards alongside Harry Mackaill (bass, synth, backing vocals), Matthew Gallagher keys, guitar, backing vocals) and Tom Gilkes (drums, percussion).
Moving from a short but weighty Zeppelin-esque intro (which recurs throughout) 'Caught in the Middle' is
hip-hop in the verses and seriously muscly on the choruses, where Wille Edwards emphatically screams how "we’re caught in the middle!" of a nation in political turmoil and unrest.
The highly contemporary groove-rock of 'I'm Alive,' lyrically depicting someone struggling with depression but having that 'hallelujah' moment of insight (leading to the song title shout of self-affirmation), features an extended psychedelic meets eastern influenced instrumental section before returning to the emphatic declaration of the title, in the musically grooviest of circumstances.
'Without You' is one of the darkest song highlights you will find on any album this side of too many loved ones lost to an uncaring pandemic.
Rising and falling between Zeppelin atmospheres and downtempo tonal soundscapes, the eight-and-a-half minute dark-ballad floats on a sea of bluesy organ, forlorn vocality "(my whole world is made of empty spaces, forgotten places, illusive traces…") and a highly emotive, crying for those lost slide solo from Wille Edwards.
'Good Stuff,' by contrast, is the Stonesy vibe’d, bottleneck slide-blues feel-good factor of the album, rocking and rolling toward a hopefully better future.
'In This Together' is also very Stonesy (with added punkish lip curl); the song's title sounds positive but in reality it’s a lyrical snipe at how such phrases are only conjured up to try and unify a highly divisive state of political and social media affairs.
The album’s bluesiest moment is the southern, swampy and self-explanatory titled 'Will We Ever,' featuring Wille Edwards on dobro and lap steel and nicely weighted harmony vocal choruses.
The title track highlights, through delicate brush percussion, double bass, piano, organ and plaintive Wille Edwards vocal, the one positive (for many of us) of the pandemic and lockdowns; that of peace and stillness, when you could hear beyond the static and noise.
'Move Too Fast' could be the funkily-grooved, 70s styled (plus hip-hop meets blues guitar conclusion) Yang to the title track’s take time to smell the flowers Yin.
A funky element is also employed on 'Broken Words,' which is intentionally ‘stuttery' to mimic the bumbling, stumbling and less than assured utterances from Prime Minister Boris Johnson (or at least he was at time of this review) during the pandemic (the percussive break, featuring Tom Gilkes on any kitchen utensils and objects he could find, is a nice it’s-all-just-noise touch).
The up-tempo 'Daylight,' which flits between pop-rock and weightier, pre-chorus rock, was written by Wille Edwards for his second daughter; contrast then comes by way of the pacier, new wave rock (and a touch of Neil Young in the guitars) of 'Refuge,' a dedication to the safe haven of music while decrying the total disregard for musicians and the arts, at the height of the pandemic.
Closing the album with the slow-moving and spacious eight-minutes of 'Solid Ground,' a lyrical hope and plea for our children to be able to walk on just such a land, is both commendable and fitting for an album such as When the World Stood Still.
It's also the strongest and unquestionably most important album from Wille & The Bandits to date.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
When the World Stood Still is out now on the band’s independent label Fat Toad Records.
The album is available from www.willeandthebandits.com/shop
Wille & The Bandits will support the album on a headline tour of the UK through March & April.
Dates & Tickets: www.willeandthebandits.com/tour-dates/categories/uk-tour-2022
The band will also tour the UK later in the year, during October, as as special guest support to Samantha Fish
The album’s bluesiest moment is the southern, swampy and self-explanatory titled 'Will We Ever,' featuring Wille Edwards on dobro and lap steel and nicely weighted harmony vocal choruses.
The title track highlights, through delicate brush percussion, double bass, piano, organ and plaintive Wille Edwards vocal, the one positive (for many of us) of the pandemic and lockdowns; that of peace and stillness, when you could hear beyond the static and noise.
'Move Too Fast' could be the funkily-grooved, 70s styled (plus hip-hop meets blues guitar conclusion) Yang to the title track’s take time to smell the flowers Yin.
A funky element is also employed on 'Broken Words,' which is intentionally ‘stuttery' to mimic the bumbling, stumbling and less than assured utterances from Prime Minister Boris Johnson (or at least he was at time of this review) during the pandemic (the percussive break, featuring Tom Gilkes on any kitchen utensils and objects he could find, is a nice it’s-all-just-noise touch).
The up-tempo 'Daylight,' which flits between pop-rock and weightier, pre-chorus rock, was written by Wille Edwards for his second daughter; contrast then comes by way of the pacier, new wave rock (and a touch of Neil Young in the guitars) of 'Refuge,' a dedication to the safe haven of music while decrying the total disregard for musicians and the arts, at the height of the pandemic.
Closing the album with the slow-moving and spacious eight-minutes of 'Solid Ground,' a lyrical hope and plea for our children to be able to walk on just such a land, is both commendable and fitting for an album such as When the World Stood Still.
It's also the strongest and unquestionably most important album from Wille & The Bandits to date.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
When the World Stood Still is out now on the band’s independent label Fat Toad Records.
The album is available from www.willeandthebandits.com/shop
Wille & The Bandits will support the album on a headline tour of the UK through March & April.
Dates & Tickets: www.willeandthebandits.com/tour-dates/categories/uk-tour-2022
The band will also tour the UK later in the year, during October, as as special guest support to Samantha Fish