Review | The Cave Singers – No Witch

Black Leaf
Swim Club

Seattle folk trio, The Cave Singers, released a new album entitled No Witch.  Excitedly I’ve got my first taste of the album back in December, after ‘Welcome Joy’ I was a big fan of the music these guys were making.  When I put it in, it started as a continuation of Welcome Joy but noticed something different the further into the album.  This is literally the Cave Singers’ rock album.  In previous efforts they are likened to the soft gray foggy days of Seattle, and now they have seemed to come under the full moon of the night transformed into a ferocious beast (see black leaf) that bites.

Normally speaking we are all  hesitant to accept such changes, especially when they have done something you love.  The further you listen to it, you realize this new ‘edge’ fits the band really well.  They’ve added another dimension to their sound without completely abandoning what they did in prior efforts.  This album adds a bit of swagger to their normally relaxed folk affairs.  Songs like ‘Black Leaf,’ ‘Faze Wave’ & ‘No Prosecution If We Bail’ all show off this newfound swagger and attitude, and lush sounds like ‘Swim Club’ and ‘Distant Sures’ keep the band grounded in what has gotten them to this point.  What keeps this release grounded is how well the album is crafted, it sounds beautiful, the songs are intriguingly written, and give off an off an almost transcendental, feel to it.  Altogether, its a reaching, branching out album that doesn’t feel like The Cave Singers have tried something they can’t do.

No Witch feels like an album where a band is stretching its space and carving out their very own niche.  It could easily be confused as a slumped album, where the band didn’t know which direction they wanted to go.  I don’t see it this way with No Witch.  I see expansion that puts this album in the hands of more than just the folk-lovers in us.  Its an album that successfully bridges multiple tones.  Give this one a few tries, I’m quite certain it will grow on you.

Buy No Witch

The Cave Singers on Tour(*with Lia Ices):
02/22/11 Seattle, WA: Easy Street Records (Queen Anne) In-store performance
03/10/11 San Francisco, CA: Great American Music Hall*
03/11/11 Brookdale, CA: Historic Brookdale Lodge*
03/12/11 Visalia, CA: The Cellar Door*
03/13/11 Los Angeles, CA: Heritage Court at The Autry*
03/14/11 San Diego, CA: Casbah*
03/16-19/11 Austin, TX: SXSW
03/23/11 Atlanta, GA: The Earl*
03/31/11 Brooklyn, NY: Music Hall of Williamsburg
04/01/11 Philadelphia, PA: Johnny Brenda’s*
04/03/11 Boston, MA: Brighton Music Hall*
04/04/11 Buffalo, NY: Mohawk Place*
04/05/11 Toronto, ON: The Drake Hotel*
04/07/11 Chicago, IL: Lincoln Hall*
04/08/11 Bloomington, IN: Russian Recording
04/09/11 Louisville, KY: Zanzabar*
04/15/11 Denver, CO: Larimer Lounge*
04/16/11 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court*
04/21/11 Vancouver, BC: The Biltmore Cabaret*
04/22/11 Portland, OR: Doug Fir Lounge*
04/23/11 Seattle, WA: The Showbox*