Weevil: Drunk on Light
Wichita Recordings
During the summer of 1999 in South London, Weevil rose from the ashes of Johnny Weevil's Pavement-styled indie band and Tom Betts' electronic project Vendor Refill. Five years on, the duo conflates the trademark sounds of bands like My Bloody Valentine, New Order, and The Notwist into a derivative yet still satisfying collection of shoegazed electronic pop on its second outing, the 52-minute Drunk On Light. The Notwist and The Postal Service surface in Weevil's soft vocals and in its songs' melodies (“Half Smile,” “Bytecry”), the New Order influence is clearly evident in the recurring presence of a prominent bass attack (“Silver Rails” most strongly references Peter Hook's trademark bass style), and its penchant for melancholy electropop recalls Morr Music acts like Styrofoam. And though Weevil generally keeps things well under control—some might argue too much so—in its elegantly polished songs, there are moments when its use of dynamic contrasts and anthemic tendencies suggests U2. “Out Of Time,” for example, could be mistaken for the Irish band when it opens with a slow broil of motorik drumming, lean bass lines, delicately chiming guitar, and elegantly sparse piano; that it's a different band altogether only becomes clear at the two-minute mark when Weevil's feathery vocal counterpoint appears. In addition, the pairing of harmonium smears with thumping, clicking drums and acoustic guitars in “Handburn” is lovely (even if the song's gentle singing and melancholy melodies recall L'altra) while the stately “A Million Things” is the album's electronic pop epic.
Drunk On Light ultimately registers as an instrumentally accomplished indie rock-electronic pop fusion that contains more than its fair share of appealing vocals and pretty melodies. Yet it's also an album that's sometimes a bit too polite, its aggression and energy levels too contained—next time ‘round, the inclusion of an emotional outburst or two would help prove there's passion beneath the polish. And, as enjoyable a listen as it is, Drunk On Light finds the group's influences worn a little too blatantly on its sleeves; perhaps the band's sound will be more completely its own by the time its third installment arrives.
June 2005
