Having established themselves as purveyors of US folk performed with spirit and energy, The Wiyos have extended their remit significantly on this, their 6th album (if you count last year’s 7-tracker ‘Foxtrots, Polkas & A Waltz’). Arguably a concept album of sorts, ‘Twist’ is loosely based on the texts of L. Frank Baum’s ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and ‘The Hero’s Journey’ by Joseph Campbell. While I applaud music with a literary bent – especially because I’m weary of musicians who are semi-literate dullards with nothing to say, and let’s face it, the world’s full of them – it takes real skill to translate the essence of a text, even as a most personal interpretation in a way that works for the listener, especially a listener who may not be all that familiar with the text that inspired it.
Good time US folk of ‘Yellow Lines’ but there’s a spiralling Hammond on ‘Jolly Roger’ and the honky-tonk blues of ‘Scarecrow 1’ is infused with a psychedelic pop edge and Byrds-like harmonies. Then there’s the crooked tango of ‘Tinman’, the surf-balladry of ‘Poppy Fields’ and ‘Sally May’ seems to draw together the seemingly ill-matched elements of The Beatles and Pavement to surprisingly good effect, resulting in a slice of melodic pop with an off-kilter lo-fi edge. ‘Penny Arcade’ is a proper C&W smooch drenched in nostalgia.
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Not every genre-straddling clash of vintage music with a contemporary, er, ‘twist’ is entirely successful, and the Jazzy Hip-Hop stylings of ‘Mary’ are dubious at best. Still, many of the songs leap unexpectedly from one style to another in an instant, meaning there isn’t time to dwell too much on any shortcomings. There are definitely country and folk foundations to many of the compositions here, but there’s a whole lot more besides, and the band’s commitment to pushing the parameters of traditional musical forms is laudable.
It’s a little difficult to grasp any real sense of narrative or even conceptual unity beyond the titles. The songs don’t really demand the listener engages lyrically, ultimately, who cares? ‘Twist’ is a brave and ambitious effort, and is, in the main, a success.
The Wiyos Online
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