I’ve never heard of Whitman before, and the chances are, neither will you. This Texan mob are a ‘small’ band on a small US indie, so even the most harden of myspace and purevolume searchers are unlikely to have come across this lot yet. So, here’s what the band are all about, as said by the band’s very own label owner:
“The music industry is flooded with watered-down, un-inspired, and artistically impaired bands that wash up on popular shores riding waves of trend and novelty. Our radios and television sets have begun to fester and spill over with this sonic mediocrity, a telling testament to the triteness and triviality of the times. It is onto this misused and misunderstood stage that Whitman enters with their debut EP, “Anhedonia Falling.†The Oxford English Dictionary defines anhedonia as the “inability to feel pleasure.†This is the curse of the modern man, trapped in currents of acquiescence that sweep him from apartment to cubicle, cubicle to apartment, caught in a never ending cycle that rushes him unbeknownst from womb to tomb never to experience the true pleasure that is at the root of life. Whitman calls for a re-evaluation of contemporary ideologies and systems of perception that have entrapped humanity in this inhuman snare. They call us back to the reverie that many have somehow forgotten. Interwoven with an undeniable sense of melody and brilliant musicianship, Whitman‘s message is clear but in no way heavy-handed. After all, Whitman‘s primary goal, above all else, is the crafting of creative, organic, and inspiring music. This is something that they work on day in and day out, modifying their live sets for every single show.”
So now you know.
For me, Whitman are a confusing bunch, practically cramming in every known genre during the course of these six songs; switching from Radiohead to Weezer in the blink of an eye. A talented bunch they may be, but I’ve struggled to get into this record to be honest. Each song takes on a different style, almost as though the band find it difficult to grasp one specific sound they want to make their own. ‘Moratorium’ is perhaps the best song here – at times soothing, at others a bit more biting – but even then it doesn’t really stand out, leaving the label owner’s words to be a little trite.
www.whitmannoise.com
Sonora Recs
Paul