“‘Yankee Reality’. What does it mean? Does it portend that there is some unique, other plain of existence for northerners and/or city folk? Something perhaps alien to, well, everybody else? Virginia cum citizen of London/rambling man Keith Wood knows all about it. Several years ago, he relocated to the city of crumpets and tea, where he, among other things, secured a gig playing guitar for notoriously intense death folk legends Current 93. In the midst of all this excitement, he has managed to write and record a brand new Hush Arbors album, his second for Ecstatic Peace!, and it’s his finest to date. With a full band in tow, multi-instrumentalist Leon Dufficy, bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer Ryan Sawyer - and none other than J Mascis in the producer’s chair, ‘Yankee Reality’ continues Wood’s winning streak while introducing an embarrassment of riches in the way of surprises and curveballs along the way.”

It’s a mystery to me how one can listen to an album for the first time and not be impressed, but then play it a couple more times and and end up loving it to death. How the feck does that work? It’s a mystery but it’s also a lesson that this reviewer has taken to heart and to PC keyboard. ‘Day Before’ opens this delicious collection with a song that rolls gently along, albeit with the relentless clatter of drums improv-style. The melody is superb, the punctuating country guitar riffs superb, the lyrics simple and powerful, the vocal distant but somehow close,  in a connecting kind of way. ‘Lisbon’ opens with sharp military drum roll and burst of Tex-Mex guitar before the vocal enters to sing a narrative, folk-rock song. The track fairly rattles along with more wonderful guitar solos and another superb melody. ‘Fast Asleep’ drops down into much darker territory as the deathly drum rhythm pounds mercilessly while keyboards drone. The guitar riffs add an additional threatening dimension to this solemn tune, and the vocal crawls along to underline the song’s serious tone.

‘So They Say’ creates a place somewhere between heaven and hell, dread and hope, with the latter just winning out. It’s a contemplative tune echoed by the wimsical guitar vibe, and questioning vocal tone. ‘One Way Ticket’ is a throbbing, spaced-out tune with a wondering, rather detached piano notes that seem to be playing another song… very different, very interesting. ‘Coming Home’ verges on the epic with its wide-open country ambience, glorious instrumental mix and galloping pace. ‘Sun Shall’ is one of my favourites. There’s a distinctive Tex-Mex feel to this narrative song, with a highly orginal instrumental arrangement that creates a dramatic effect. ‘Take It Easy’ has an altogether lighter ambience created by its jaunty instrumentals and a vocal that sounds like it’s having fun. Jangling guitar introduces ‘For While You Slept’, a song that travels along in deliberation and then soars with the most vivid, wonderful crescendo choruses, and all driven by a monster of a melody. It’s another standout track. Finally, ‘Devil made You High’ rocks out the album in grand style with the relentless hum of guitars and a throbbing drum rhythm. The song builds quickly to epic scale as the instruments crash away underneath a quite sedate vocal. It’s highly original and an absolute slam-dunk of a song. Brilliant.

Boy, am I glad that with age comes patience… This is a brilliant album which delivers a wonderful diversity of pace and mood, with instrumental passages that top most of what I’ve heard so far in this excellent album release year. The song writing is first rate, there’s door-opening melody to-burn and a wonderful sense of time and place. Suck long and hard on this one my friends, the flavour will eventually stun you…

4.5/5