Love and the Human Condition: The Haunted WindchimesWritten by Peter John McLeanThe Haunted Windchimes recently released their new full-length album, Honey Moonshine, which was recorded/engineered by Butch Hause at the Western Jubilee in Colorado Springs. As is expected of The Haunted Windchimes, it is a surreal mixture of antiquated imagery and progressive beliefs, which are then expressed through a harmony of extremely talented voices.
Anyone who has heard The Haunted Windchimes is aware of their beautiful vocals, and their innate style of letting the vocals carry the melody. The tempo, however, seems to slow down brutally by the ninth measure of the first song "Little Bones." Whether this was a stylistic ritardando or not, I found it surprisingly sloppy-a disappointing start to such an eagerly awaited release.
Many of the songs center around travel, with strong references to physical imagery-especially trains. Songs like "Find the Door" tackle issues like the ending of relationships, or "Waitin' For a Train," which captures the boisterous spirit common to sojourners of all forms. This was something I could relate to, something I could appreciate. What was even more exciting to me was that it featured a kazoo.
"Honey Moonshine," the title track, features a number of musical dynamics, quickly moving from mezzo pianissimo to mezzo forte, eventually leading to a crescendo and a sforzando, then in reverse order from mezzo forte. The process is then repeated. It is also the first song on the album to introduce genuine voice leading, which I found to be a refreshing change. What struck me more than anything else was the unconventional build of each song. Their lyrics stray from the normal pop design, floating more into the realm of almost Kerouacian haikus. This was something that my ears had great trouble adjusting to, but as I opened my mind to the more literate and less catchy motif, I eventually acclimated myself to its unrelenting presence.
The album is full of heavyweight themes. Like I have said, travel is the most prevalent sensory image used to convey their thoughts, but other premises, like love and the human condition, find themselves buried under train car imagery and ghost matter illusions, often found in the least likely of places. The album ends powerfully with what I would argue is their strongest song, "A Ballad of Human Progress," which clearly displays a workhorse of punk ideals shadowed by their extremely folk demeanor. And it's full of politicians, bankers and lawyers/a fast talking man been armed to destroy us/and keep us from the truth/consume, consume, consume. I felt like they held this back the whole album just to hit a bit too softly in the end. Whereas I expected a punk-influenced folk album blessed with fiery passion and deadpan wit, instead I was handed a model for what could have been much more.
Honey Moonshine is available at hauntedwindchimes.com
