Don’t let the title give you the impression that it’s all satanic guitar riffs and screamo vocals. Instead kick back and let James Jackson Toth’s voice inspire you. He is your noble story teller in lieu if Bob Dylan, his narrative witty and dark in humour. The rich layers of acoustic guitar give an earthy, well-trodden weight that draws you in to James’s lyrics. Listening goes down easy and it’s not long before you’re on a shambolic journey that requires no effort on your behalf. However, it is not lo-fi to the extent of the indie folk you here so much of these days. ‘The Mountain’ is a psychedelic number that leaves you sympathetic to Toth’s trials and tribulations. ‘Ms Mowse’ is similarly hallucinatory but more somber. Then James goes downright gloomy with ‘Servant to Blues’. This is Wooden Wands third LP since former records with his collaborators Vanishing Voice. It is more accomplished and mature like an aged single malt, which I’m sure he also enjoys. Reminisces of relationships are humourous in ‘I Made You’ as if taken from a wisened perspective. I like how free of pretence this particular revival of 70’s folk is, even amoung the genre’s growing popularity. Maybe you’ve found yourself in the midst of some pretty chaotic times, if so Death Seat will empathize and entertain.
8/10
