Wagon Lord – Whales with Legs
From my review of Jove’s Cove
“Wagon Lord is solo artist from Redcliffe, Australia. His album, named Jove’s Cove, is spectacular. The album cover is a beautiful capture of Redcliffe’s beaches, though the music is so much grander than the region’s bland coastline. Redcliffe has much more to offer than a pitstop between Brisbane and Sunshine Coast; it has one fantastic artist you ought to be paying attention to.”
Unfortunately, previous efforts by Wagon Lord are less-than-spectacular. His album, Whales with Legs, is a forgettable debut in Lord’s career. Dance, Kill and Evil are the only tracks predictive of what’s to come in future – each track is quite lovely and add a lovely contrast to the remaining album, though they are disappointingly short and under-baked. The remaining tracks are less song-like and more schizophrenic experiments designed to test the patience of the listener. At times the style works, such as during Communication; a delight amidst the amateurish and undeveloped remaining songs. Austere, swirling instrumentation are playfully mixed into a chaotic, feverish landscape - complete with Wagon Lord’s signature muted trumpet and god-awful production.
Sadly, the vocal delivery on tracks such as Walk and Hunger are awful; songs such as these rely far too much on their absurdity, yet their concepts are meaningless and humourless. Sometimes the vocals work, though, such as during legless - where the delivery adds much needed charm among the delirious, abrasive and genuinely captivating soundscape. Bees is also an enjoyable track, but the lack of clarity in the mixing drags it down.
Despite its highlights, Whales with Legs lacks direction and consistency. As a result, the songs feel very loosely connected and incoherently bundled together. The nonchalant, post-ironic aesthetic of the album is as boring and uninspired as Wagon Lord’s awful vocal delivery on Hunger. If you enjoy Wagon Lord’s absurd sense of humour (as evident on his Youtube’s page), it’s worth a listen – otherwise you’d be better of listening to Jove’s Cove on repeat and hope to God he makes a worthwhile sequel to it.
Bad
Listen to it here:
Wagon Lord – Whales with Legs
