WOVEN HAND

Originally not intended as more than just a one shot thing, while 16 HP was on hold for feud reasons, Woven Hand's debut album is one that sounds still much like many indie/alternative rock groups with definite folk tendencies. With an amusing computer-derived artwork gracing the entire booklet, this first album is mostly DEE by himself, with a few guests, such as Taylor on guitar on half the tracks and McMahon on keys for a third of the album. Musically, this album is much related to the late 16 HP albums, offering a similar "sound" that is easily confused between the two projects. In WH, the acoustic string instruments are more prominent than on 16 HP, but the folk is not over-powering by any means.

The lead-off Good Hand track sounds like a very positive and folk-inspired U2-type of rock, which actually misleads a bit from WH's usual music program. Indeed the following My Russia is a much darker tale (that will find also its way into the next album, along with the Ain't No Sunshine cover, Story & Pictures and the other Russia tracks), but never really gothic (at least imho) and staying in fairly short song format. Faves of mine include Blue Pail Fever and Wooden Brother, but also most common tracks you'll find in their next album. The diminutive Last Fist closes the album in a neat fashion, a very folk solo affair, much like Glass Eye, where mandolin and banjo rules.

This "debut" album holds much material on other albums (or more like other albums have re-worked material from this debut), especially on Blush Music, but I find that generally the repeat performances more spectacular there than in this disc. Better get first Blush Music than this debut, partly because, past the common tracks, the non-communal material in better on the second album.