After a number of releases on vinyl and CD-R,
+ is
Whitelodge's first full-length CD -- and it makes a very strong introduction to the unique sound world of the band. In only a few years of work, Dustin Gilbert, Derek Groves, and Stephen Ringenberg (all multi-instrumentalists) have hit upon a new formula that derives its dosage from the dreaminess of American neo-folk, the experimental moods of early
Gastr del Sol, and the clinical sound of
Coil. In short,
+ is
the Jewelled Antler Collective minus the tape hiss and the shaky rhythms -- or an acoustic version of
Coil stripped of any industrial references. Gilbert's low-key, slightly cold singing is backed by a few acoustic and electric guitars, quiet basslines, drums (often played with brushes), and antiquated Fender Rhodes. This instrumentation doesn't vary much, and neither do the melodies, but it all works well.
+ is actually two releases rolled into one. The first nine tracks (approximately 45 minutes) first appeared on the group's 2004 self-titled LP, a limited-edition affair. "They Are Seven," "Vision," "The Emperor's Orchid," and the 16-minute "Rites" formed (together with a fifth track, omitted here) Stream of Dreams, the group's contribution to Beta-Lactam Ring's Lactamase series of 10" EPs, another release that enjoyed only small circulation. These tracks have been remixed. The album is rounded up by a previously unreleased eight-minute track, "Illumination of the Sylph." All these tracks add up to 80 minutes that are best appreciated when taking a breather between the end of the album proper and the start of the bonus material.