Baths, or Will Wiesenfeld is a man who has a lot of distance to himself. It is enough to look at his fan page on Facebook to realize how much. Obsidian only confirms this. It is also proof that Baths has found his style. Excellent, it should be added.
His first release, the album Cerulean from 2010, received very good reviews and opened the way for Will to career, although probably everyone who listened to this album was most memorable for the song Aminals (who did not try to growl in a fit of enthusiasm for it?). Cerulean was a good record, but a vague one – Baths still oscillated between a cut rhythm and a calm atmosphere that brought to mind the achievements of Bibio or Toro Y Moi. With Obsidian , it is already clear which direction he has chosen. None of the above.
The latest album released – like Cerulean – by Anticon… delights. Simply, simply delights in the world. From the first listen, from the first track. The album opens with the song Worsening, which perfectly reflects the shape of Obsidian. First, moans straight from hell, then a slightly hoarse vocal, and after a dozen or so seconds a beat of rhythmic, catchy instrumentation and bows. On Obsidian you can find everything – there are curses, blasphemies about a non-existent God, charming ballads, unsuccessful lyrics about love, rhythmic jokes and catchy songs. Miasma Sky can resemble Gold Panda’s songs, especially where there are oriental motifs so beloved by the musician from the Isles. Next, a ballad based on strings with a lyric that evokes an indulgent smile: “I am sweet swine in Victorian doorways”. Truly? Will is a bad songwriter and he certainly knows it. And he certainly laughs about it.A few tracks later there is a lyrical masterpiece and my absolute favorite – in the song No Eyes Will sings “It’s not a matter of if you mean it, but it’s only a matter of come and fuck me”. Who won’t be caught by the heart? And who now has problems with believing that Baths is a man with a huge distance to his work? Songs like the further No Past Lives and the cheerful keys opening it (yes, “cheerful” is that word!) only confirm this.
Obsidian is a painfully coherent album, refined from beginning to end. It was worth waiting three years to hear Will Wiesenfeld’s work again, if only to find out that he would neither play like another Toro Y Moi, nor like Bibio but like … Baths.