Review: Gentle William – Gentle William

Gentle William has made significant contributions to records from the excellent Junkboy in recent times. His solo output contains the essence of dreams too but in this case they’re unsettling visions.

‘Untitled 13’ appears to be a tender instrumental but the quivering atmospherics are an indication of the approaching menace. ‘Reclaiming Land’ features a discordant violin and is not unlike ‘Laughing Stock’-era Talk Talk in its bleak, seemingly improvised execution. ‘Limpit’ is similarly morose with melodion wheezing away under the sadness of it all. Then we have ‘What Freud Said About Longing’; with the sounds within being as challenging as the title suggests, as weird alien noises congregate to what appears to be little purpose. Pleasingly, ‘Twelve’ returns to melodic form with its off-kilter hook redolent of Hood in their prime and last track ‘Untitled 8’ is a plaintive acoustic number.

Gentle William makes queasy rather than easy listening; where tracks appear as disparate fragments whose meaning is unknown. However, for most of the time it’s fascinating and evocative and there’s a sense of being alone, lost at sea on a ghost ship.

Web Sites:
Gentle William MySpace
Rainboot Label and Shop Site

Further Listening:
The Third Eye Foundation, Talk Talk, Hood

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