Search - Winterpills :: Light Divides

The Light Fantastic

Stephen Doig | New Zealand | 04/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Winterpills are a band so perfectly named, it's almost possible to guess what they sound like without ever having heard them. True to this theory, the Northampton, MA quartet create delicate, seretonin-deficient folk-pop, which is as beautiful as it is melancholic. Their eponymous debut from 2004 introduced the music world to the haunting vocal harmonies of Phillip Price (vocals, guitars, Elliot Smith sound-alike) and Flora Reed (vocals, keyboards), a partnership from which many of Winterpills' best moments are derived. A hugely promising first effort, it contained a couple of real standouts in `Laughing' and `Cranky', though occasionally lapsed into slightly more dour, forgettable territory.



It's 2007 follow-up, The Light Divides, is a much more thrilling proposition. Winterpills' signature style may not have changed, but this time out there is a real marked difference in sound and quality. Brimming with exhilarating melodies, hypnotic harmonies, and a greater sense of scope and yearning, it's as though the band have tired of the constraints of a restricted palette, and newly liberated, broken out into a glorious array of colours. With so much new material on offer (15 songs), you'd be forgiven for worrying about quality control issues, but such concerns soon melt away as each successive track on The Light Divides unravels to reveal another finely rendered and beautifully executed gem.



`Handkerchiefs' has an intimacy and richness that recalls Nick Drake, while the spine-tingling `July' has that wonderful melodic-lilt thing that Crowded House used to do so very well. The fragile, perfectly-formed `Hide Me' utilizes those bewitching Winterpills harmonies to great effect, the two voices intertwining and fluttering about like love-drunk moths drawn to a flame. `Shameful' is absolutely sublime. It's escalating chorus is typically seductive of the way Winterpills' music lodges itself in the musical parts of your consciousness (a disproportionately large area in my case) and simply refuses to leave. 'Broken Arm' quite simply rocks, moreso than any other Winterpills song in the band's short existence. The delightful, ringing `A Ransom' meanwhile, is positively chipper by Winterpills' previous standards. Really, there are far too many good moments on The Light Divides, that mentioning them all would be exhaustive. In every sense though, Winterpills' second offering is a folk-pop masterpiece, and the perfect musical accompaniment to those starkly beautiful Winter months. Highly, highly recommended, and quite unexpectedly, album of the year thus far for me.



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Brilliant, powerful

Chris A. Vatt | Arkansas, USA | 04/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Light Divides.

An intelligent album, sprinkled with an aura of sophistication. Couple that with soft undertones, clever lyrics, and emotions that genuine and dreamy -it's hard to not play this album in the park and just waste the afternoon away.



The lead singer's voice is absolutely beautiful to listen to. He never exaggerates to the point of yelling; it's as if he's cradling each word like a precious thought, carefully exuding each syllable with soft emotion. The female touch adds a harmonious intertwining of words and feelings. She sings at the most opportune times to further heighten the gentleness of the album.



1. Lay Your Heartbreak - A superb track displaying pain and suffering. It's slow, wistful, but never forceful.



2. Hide Me - The acoustics here are amazing. The backup singers dance their choral, interweaving from back to front. The singers display very haunting harmonies playing off each other's strengths.



3. Handkerchiefs - The female singer displays a strong dominance here and flexes her strong (albeit soft) vocal muscle. It's a easy listening, fun song.



4. Broken Arm - Probably the most popular song on their album, Broken Arm exudes the bands' clever music writing what a very strong presense of drums, bass, and acoustic in a pop-tastic fashion. It's very upbeat and you'll find yourself irresistibly humming along. I could have done with the solitary f-word but hey, it's expression at it's finest.



5. Shameful - Superb, sublime track. My favorite. The song writing holds-no-barred with provocative lyrics and eclectic once-upon-a-time reminiscing. It's one of those songs that leaves the lyrics for what they are: the listener's poetic interpretation. The short electric guitar solo is an absolute dream.



6. Eclipse - Very strong bass and simple percussions; Eclipse is slow, serious tone of expression.



7. July - A very personal, relatable song; an ode to a friend, lover, or lost one.



8. A Ransom - In my honest opinion, possibly the weakest song on the album. The band almost out drones out the singers. The chorus, while catchy, is simplistic in design.



9. I Bear Witness - Quiet, dramatic, and expressive and not much else.



10. June Eyes - Another song where the acoustics and vocals dance a slow, whisper lullaby. A fabulous song; precious as a baby.



11. Angels Fall - The xylophone plays a very good part here, giving the impression of lightness and innocence. Fitting for the title.



12. You Don't Live Long Enough - Depressing, but true lyrics stand this song to be a classic.



13. A Folded Cloth - The song is sung in an almost poetic, haiku fashion. It's words potent; however, probably one of my least favorite tracks.



Ultimately, give this album a try if you like your music melodic, airy, thought-provoking. If you need a small up-and-coming band, to which, nobody has ever heard of, Winterpills will definitely carve a niche into your brain.



Don't be surprised if you find yourself quietly reminiscing in a corner of your local park, wasting away with smiles and wonder.

"