Album Review: Warpaint - The Fool

The fem-rockers of Warpaint have slowly and quietly climbed up in the indie-rock world. I remember first listening to Warpaint back in June at Radio Radio, a small bar located in Fountain Square on the outskirts of downtown Indianapolis, not really knowing who they were, but knowing there was a certain intrigue about them. These girls had a strong-willed and independent sound that slowly but quietly grew on me. I was extremely impressed with the War girls’ ability to create such original, lush, and atmospheric soundscapes capable of instantly captivating an entire audience. After that show, I have been patiently waiting for the release of Warpaint’s debut album, The Fool. Now the time is here, and The Fool is a quick reminder of the intrigue I felt just a few months earlier this year.

• Drums and Bass – The drums and bass are the top highlights of The Fool. The rhythms (played by drummer/keyboardist Stella Mozgawa and bassist/vocalist Jenny Lee Lindberg) are very tight and played with remarkable technical ability, creating energy similarly heard in genres such as post-punk, post-hardcore, and hip-hop. These rhythms breathe new life, creating grooves in songs like "Bees" and adding build in other songs such as "Warpaint". Lindberg helps make songs like "Set Your Arms Down" even groovier, creating embellished and psychedelic sounds, which lay the foundation for the rest of the group. She has a full bass presence and adds to the overall organic sound. These rhythm sections truly are a treat.
• Hypnotic Ambience - Warpaint create such mesmerizing, musical environments throughout The Fool. Lead singer/guitarist Emily Kokal’s earthy vocals are drenched with reverb and echo effects, giving her a haunting, yet seductive quality similar to other female vocalists such as Bjork and Beth Gibbons of Portishead. The guitars provided from Kokal and backup vocalist/guitarist Theresa Wayman are very subtle, playing succinct guitar lines that shimmer with slight amounts of echo, fuzz, and distortion effects added where needed. These qualities, along with the sounds of the drum and bass, give songs such as "Set Your Arms Down", "Undertow", and "Composure" a nice balance of psychedelic, post-punk, progressive, and art-rock sounds. This album is produced and mixed very well, with just the right amount of wet signal to give these ambient settings their eerie feel.
• Infectious Melodies - The melodies provided by the rest of the band perfectly accompany Kokal’s voice, creating backdrop similar to the sound of a weeping siren. The melodies cry with passion and pain, and are also beautifully coated with reverb and echo effects.

• Lyrics – The lyrics on The Fool are your typical relationship-gone-wrong feel, without much subjective variation. They are not bad though and are not a huge focus, so this is not a big complaint.
• Some Failed Experimentation – Attempts at a more stripped down sound on the song "Baby" end up falling flat and providing no real direction or build. However, the next song, "Lissie’s Heart Murmur" starts with a piano-driven progression and builds much more nicely.

1. Set Your Arms Down – This song starts the album off right, slowly building into a hypnotic groove. Entrancing. 5/5
2. Warpaint – Another great song with a strong presence. Starts off with a Tool-esque sound and then grows into a great psychedelic groove. 5/5
3. Undertow – This song definitely has the pop-single feel to it, almost having a feel similar to The xx. Great song. 5/5
4. Bees – The drums and fuzzy bass create a fun and richly layered jam. More entrancing melodies fit nicely with the rest of the song. 5/5
5. Shadows – This song showcases the vocal ability of Wayman, as she soothes the listener as the drums precisely flow in and out. Another impressive song. 5/5
6. Composure – This song starts off with a cool group melody and then transitions into a short, funky bass section before Kokal sings “How can I keep my composure?” Very catchy with great dynamic development. 5/5
7. Baby – This acoustic ballad has pretty weak lyrics and does not really develop into anything. Okay, but not great. 2/5
8. Majesty – This song adds nice electronic splashes and blurps to accompany the sedated guitar textures and drum beats. A fun, upbeat song with experimental sounds. 4/5
9. Lissie’s Heart Murmur – a piano-driven ballad that builds nicely with some tight drumming by Mozgawa. A very strong closer. 5/5

The Fool definitely takes a few listens to really admire. It is a slow, but rewarding adventure full of lush environments and strict, meticulous rhythms. This album is a mysterious and eerie, yet entertaining album, reminding me why I enjoyed Warpaint so much back in June. Don’t be a fool. Check this out.

Overall Grade – 4.5/5