Wrnlrd “Oneiromantical War” LP

"Oneiromantical War", the sixth (and most widely available to date) release from the always intriguing Wrnlrd is also the first release for sure-to-be-curious new label Flingco Sound System. In many ways no two Wrnlrd releases are particularly alike, but right off the bat with this one (which comes hot on the heels of "Pentagon") things feel more pointed and powerful to me. Numerous twisted abstractions are still in place from the start—from rumbling dark ambient tones to sprawling layers of chaotic guitars over sparse percussive bursts—but the recording is obviously more defined this time around, with a very crisp guitar tone and a relatively clear mix, which really pays off. It's not until the third track, "Silent Command", that obscured vocals make their first appearance—gurgling forth from beneath a mass of blasting drums and raging guitar riffs—but just a few minutes later they're gone; and by the time "Haxanic Stairway" rolls around you're treated to some unexpectedly bright snippets of acoustic guitar over some of the most eerily moving (in an emotional sense) dark ambient textures I've heard in years (seriously). Quite awesome. And then there's the epic 20-minute closer, "War", which kind of traverses through all of the other elements of the album in its own fluid manner. You can never quite be sure what you're in for with Wrnlrd, but that admirable unpredictability doesn't seem to have hampered him thus far in the eyes of listeners. That being said, if you've not been impressed by what you're heard from the project in the past, I'd always encourage you to keep checking in from time to time, because there are true moments of brilliance tucked away in releases like this that really raise the bar. I'm confident in stating that "Oneiromantical War" is Wrnlrd's finest work to date—musically, sonically, visually, etc. Nicely done...

Wrnlrd "Silent Command"

This one's only available on limited edition LP (a one-time pressing of 500 on 180 gram vinyl, no less) or as mp3 downloads (and the LP's come with a download code, so you'll get both if you buy the LP), though I'm not entirely sure if anyone other than the band/label has physical LP's in stock just yet. The price for a single LP seems a little steep, but I believe the label's going to be offering some cool package deals or something along those lines, so you might want to wait until they get their website fully up and running in the next week or so to check into that. I'm guessing you could buy one off the man himself for a decent rate as well, should you take the time to do some digging.

Get It

Flingco Sound System (LP/mp3)
The End Records (LP/mp3, though not yet in stock)
Amazon.com (mp3)
eMusic (mp3)
@ iTunes (mp3)