Willard Grant Conspiracy – Mojave
It’s now been five years and a pair of remarkable albums since Paul Austin and Robert Fisher road-tested their home studio and spawned Willard Grant Conspiracy. Following the duo’s particularly non-formulaic equation from its first two releases, the cast of characters that help create the sonic environment on Mojave, the third WGC album, comprise a disparate and notable roll call. Chicago chanteuse Edith Frost, Chris Brokaw (Codeine), James Apt (Six Finger Satellite), and David Michael Curry (Will Oldham) join stalwarts Walter Salas-Humara (Silos) and Malcolm Travis (Sugar), among many others, to help WGC fashion its most expansive and satisfying album to date.
In its most vulnerable and open moments, WGC gives off a shimmering but darkly dangerous acoustic vibe. “Sticky” and “Archy’s Lullaby” sound like stripped-down demos for Iggy Pop’s The Idiot, while “I Miss You Best” opts for the brilliant desolation that the Volebeats have perfected in recent years. When WGC rocks toward a more jagged edge, the results are equally moving, especially on the Tom-Waits-fronts-the-Replacements “Go Jimmy Go”.
Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment is the way Austin and Fisher maintain a distinct personality for the band even as it’s being inhabited by unlikely collaborators. The crashing influence of electric and acoustic psycho-folk and the swirling atmosphere of open experimentation combine in WGC’s vivid sound. As the core duo continues to explore varied avenues for its songs, it’s likely that no one genre will ever completely contain the Willard Grant Conspiracy’s quiet lightning in a bottle.