Jumping back into the music of Beware Wolves, I was met with an intense sense of familiarity that I honestly did not expect. I found that his music was essentially very easy to get used to.
I also managed to spot a couple more details that I happened to miss on the previous record. Each album cover has a graphic of the moon, with its phases progressing, from the new moon of the first album, we arrive on the waxing crescent on the second one. The songs are also arranged in an alphabetical order, throughout the entire discography, not in each individual album. So, the second album has the Bs, all the way to the start of the Fs, which sparked an internal conversation about how artists arrange music in their albums, with all scenarios having the case in which there were songs that were, in essence, better than others. Some artists would opt to put the stronger ones at the start and the end, others would prefer to place them strategically at different spots throughout the runtime, making Beware Wolves’ decision a very confident one, maybe even reckless, as it tells us that he holds all his music as having a consistency in quality that makes every album standout, even if the songs are arranged with no basis other than an alphabetical one.
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But as all albums go, there were moments that held more value than others, distinct highlights. So, let’s discover them. The starter, Blackout, is a dazzling acoustic blues tune, straight from a smoky parlor. With an amazing vocal part and effortlessly musical harmonies, the warm guitar finds no difficulty cutting through and delivering the bluesy elegance. Bring it to Me is a sensual ballad with haunting ballad and an acoustic guitar that sounds full and large, if slightly muted. The vocals, main and harmonies, are the star of the show here. With a melodic part that beautifully plays along the composition, the song sounds dynamic with its harmony that goes from the intimacy of a simple guitar part and a voice to full strums and a few voices harmonizing on top. Both are delivered effortlessly and eloquently. Crazy has a quirky production that sees the voice and guitar with fully scooped mids (a production move that removes the frequencies in the middle of the spectrum, putting a focus on the bass and the treble, creating a very distinct sound). The words are illusive and mythical, open for interpretation. The chorus has a delightful melody and vocal part that stick to the ear.
Danielle is a jangly singer/songwriter song with pronounced, rhythmic acoustic guitar strumming and sensual, direct lyrics that finally gives a name as to whom a lot of those songs are written for. The follower, Electric Light, is a peppy, romantic song with inventive, heartfelt lyrics that are very sweet and a production that’s remarkably similar to the previous song, making me think that both were recorded in the same session. Envy of Stars is a beautifully mixed piece, with simple, strummed acoustic guitar and a voice that’s occasionally accentuated by a beautiful harmony part. The words are introspective, and the composition flows easily. A beautiful, bluesy tune.
Beware Wolves’ music seems to have a remarkable consistency in quality, with each song having a perfectly compelling narrative and heartfelt, well-though lyrics, and while some songs will gain more favor with different listeners, there’s no denying that the quality stays still, lending a massive sense of cohesion to his work, one that makes discovering his music feels like rummaging through a forgotten chest of toys from your childhood, you don’t know what you’re going to pull out next, but you’re pretty sure you’re not going to hate it.