Madam West is a misanthropic psych-soul project who are getting ready to self-release their first full-length, Madam West Loves You. “Wade in the Water” is the first track I heard from this release, and I’ve had the pleasure of hearing it played live a few times by now, too. The rest of the album will be online (bandcamp / Spotify / soundcloud) by August 1, so just hold on tight til then.
The most constant aspect of this track isn’t the rhythm section, but actually a quiet chunky synth arpeggiation which opens the track and sneaks around underneath other sounds for all five minutes of this song. Vocalist Sophie Chernin has a delivery here which isn’t over-the-top but also isn’t totally laid-back – maybe urgent yet relaxed is the phrasing I’m looking for? In any case, it works very nicely with the ambient tones being played by the guitar and steady mid-tempo jams of the drums and bass. The end of the track is particularly strong, with a sort of vocal bridge section that’s followed by a brief solo section traded by guitar and keys. It seems to end a little abruptly, but it also ends at five minutes, so in retrospect that’s actually a pretty solid stopping point.
Keep an eye out for more tracks from Madam West on their soundcloud and stare at their facebook feed here.
