Wulver by Evil Hand
Evil Hand is the project of Derek Bates, from Carluke, Scotland, now living in Galway, Ireland.
This is the follow up to January 2012's mini-album Rain Check.
Eight new tracks that I've been working on since the start of the year. There was a lot of recording, editing, deleting, starting again, mixing, wine, changing mixes and so forth. These are the ones that made it through. Hopefully it was worth the wait.
"Now for an album which, unless it's the festive cheer talking, is one of the best of the year. It's incredibly atmospheric, it suits my mood at the moment, it reminds me of some of my favourite bands, yet sounds brand new. It's called Wulver, it's by Evil Hand, and it's just terrific" - www.ScotsWhayHae.com
"Derek Bates has produced something of a pop masterpiece. Despite the much-lauded re-emergence of My Bloody Valentine this is actually a much more palatable proposition – rather than being completely based around noise and bleeding eardrums, this tickles at the senses but delivers on a pure pop level as well." 4/5 www.isthismusic.com
"Working alone to perfect this record, Bates has achieved a couple of pretty remarkable things – firstly in capturing a full, sastisfyingly solid sound far, far bigger than a solo project would suggest. He has also displayed an incredible musical literacy, absorbing and assimilating influences from decades of pop music – but in doing so, never sounding derivative or formulaic. There are surprises hidden in the deep pools of feedback, layers of found sounds and sudden breathtaking twists of melodic guitar. Surprises well worth discovering" Mike Newman - www.PEENKO.co.uk
"The eight song collection ends with ‘Afterglow’, all shifting and morose vocals – giving truth to the old adage: once a shoegazer…"
www.isthismusic.com
""Everything Reminds Me" is an unashamed slab of catchy, sharp-edged pop hung around buzzsaw guitars and tight electronic rhythms which could have emerged directly from "Autoamerican" era Blondie. Throw in a reverb-heavy chorus which captures the imagination on the very first listen, and couple this with a sample of Charlie Chaplin's stirring and portentous speech from "The Great Dictator" and you have an oddly compelling album highlight in the making." www.PEENKO.co.uk
"The voice is world-weary, the tempo slow with shuffling drums, topped with a beautiful repeating melody and a barely heard discordant choir. The melancholic mood made beautiful by the simple arrangement which slowly fades into a vintage recording, the speaker deriding his wish to be a ‘big-shot’" review of Exile On Fr Griffin Road by Your Local Shit DJ - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBOQc7ZPUjM
Tracklist
| 1. | 10 Years | 4:32 |
| 2. | The Waves Still Come | 2:58 |
| 3. | Exile On Fr Griffin Road | 5:47 |
| 4. | It's Dark Enough Outside, Don't Be Dark Inside | 3:03 |
| 5. | Everything Reminds Me | 3:05 |
| 6. | Somewhere To Burn | 3:39 |
| 7. | As Good As It Gets | 3:15 |
| 8. | Afterglow | 6:00 |
