Wounded Knee is Scottish dude Drew Wright, and his musical nom de guerre that’s evolved over the past two-odd years from dronecore to something resembling… well, I don’t know – maybe a classically-trained vocalist’s take on Panda Bear? Â There are some adjectives that are all too obvious descriptors, so let’s just get them out of the way first: hypnotic, repetitive, cyclic, incantatory.This edition of Benbecula Records’ Minerals Series runs by a pretty standard formula – looped chanting fills the core of the song while instruments (or handclaps, or clicks) file in and form a messy chorus about the choir. Â And there is something choral about it, moreso than other examples of vocal looping; perhaps it’s the somewhat formal inflection of Wright’s voice, or the directness of their sound (free of, say, Panda Bear’s countless concert halls’ worth of reverb). Â Maybe, too, his accent. Â But there’s also something very barber shop about it all. Â Doo-wop for the psych’d out slacker?In engaging with this record, there will probably be times when those voices get a little much for most listeners. Â Instrumentally, this record is rather agreeable – breathing chords and thin, sticky percussive hits (including cowbell!) fall into looped cycles and wind themselves into a cluttered kind of frenzy that’s somehow also gentle. Â However, tracks like ‘Shoddy Bloody Journalism’ are difficult; its four minutes of looped hoots, howls, low notes and carefully chosen (barely audible) words seem to take forever to slip through the hourglass. Â Likewise, ‘Anthem For The Call Centre Worker’ features corporate slogans as lyrics… giving you six minutes of listening to (loops of) words most people spend their days desperately avoiding. Â The record’s highlight is, unsurprisingly then, the instrumental ‘Summer Haze’ – which at two and a half minutes feels too short. Â It’s a subtle drone with just the right hint of edge to it, beautifully done. Â ‘New Dawn Coda’ comes closest to pop, so much so that it almost hints at a campfire. Generally speaking, Wounded Knee works better when things move more slowly, or with a more defined trajectory. Â Â Still, there’s a little magic in getting lost.
Jon Thjia