Joe Fowler discovers a sparse and enthralling album from A Grave With No Name
Forged Artifacts
Released: 12.08.16
www.agravewithnoname.bandcamp.com
A sparse yet enthralling album, which benefits from being listened to in full from start to finish. A Grave With No Name’s Wooden Mast features acoustic and electric guitar and vocals for the most part, but with drums and other strings/synths providing weight where needed; it is a deeply reflective piece which would work as the soundtrack to a good Scandi Noir series.
Alexander Shields (the London-based guy behind AGWNN) provides soft vocals not dissimilar to a slowed down Black Francis from The Pixies, with chord progressions reminiscent of slowed down Dandy Warhols, slowing down being the operative term here.
A stripped down arrangement leaves plenty of room for the melancholic lyrics to permeate the soul, the residual feeling being that of peace, helped by the long slow intros and outros.