The Wood - Days
Liverpool-based duo The Wood present their debut 'Days' album, released via Riverdream Records. The Wood is made up of Alex Evans (vocals, backing vocals, percussion) and producer and co-writer Steve Powell (guitars, bass, backing vocals, keys, percussion), who met when Powell was recording Evans at his Ark Recording Studios in Liverpool. Creating music that is difficult to categorise yet somehow sounds familiar, The Wood cleverly mesh blue-eyed soul, southern and indie rock.
As the world overground traverses life blissfully unaware, The Wood have been holed up in a warehouse basement studio amongst the imposing brick edifices of Liverpool's ancient dockland. Working. Always working. Here, the great warehouses stand shoulder to shoulder against the wind coming in off the river, like dockers waiting for a shift. These historic streets stand as a testament, a monument to their past. To the trade and exchange of goods, of ideas. The movement of people in the hope of something new. An escape of some sort. These streets have tales to tell. There are stories and secrets they hold. And at night, silence falls and they keep those stories to themselves.
This is the perfect backdrop for The Wood. working underground and out of the limelight, little by little, day by day. Making music born of a natural love of creation, a determined passion for collaboration and even a sense of creative urgency, there's no grand master-plan here. No rulebook. No great intention of world domination. Just a simple desire, a common need to create music that speaks, music that feels and music that is honest and real to itself. Music that is true.
The Wood bring rock solid grooves, creating melodies full of beauty, passion, pain and the power of real soul. This album also involves several notable artists, including Martin Smith and Simon James (The Coral, Shack) on brass, and Jake Howden-Woodward (Nova Twins) on drums. They recently teased 'Thornside Walk', a song of hope, redemption and eventual triumph, following the lead single 'Let It Loose' with its surreal video, filmed and edited by Dylan Cox at the Pro Flex Gym in Liverpool, which features boxer Jake Harrison, along with a host of other shady characters.
As a producer, Steve Powell is an expert at unearthing sonic magic, having recorded many notable artists records, including Michael Head and The Strands, John Power, def.fo, The Stairs and Ella Guru He also produced and played guitar on the first Michael Head and the Red Elastic Band record 'Arturius Revisited' and number one indie album 'Adios Senor Pussycat'.
For The Wood, knowing what they want but not necessarily where it will lead them, time has been their friend, their growth leading them to 'Days' - an album of rich textures, built around songs filled with soul, purpose and an innate sense of release. This is a truthful record - from the shuffling groove and mariachi trumpet of the album's opening track and first single ‘Let It Loose', to the mountainous gospel-tinged chorus of 'River' and the immensely intricate production of 'Back to the Start'. The simple yet sheer yearning beauty of 'Stay with Me' sounds immediate and familiar. The melody of 'Autumn Dreams' seems to float, dancing gracefully around the notes almost preternaturally in the voice of Alex Evans - the kind of melody that can make a summer's day feel autumnal.
There's pain here, real pain, loss and heartache. There is hope, light, redemption and a sense of future. There is also a lot of love in this record - an indefinable but instantly accessible kind of love. Above all, 'Days' is a record crafted for listening, and not just hearing. The Wood have much to do in their basement hideout while the rest of us go about our business, because 'Days' marks just the beginning for this uniquely talented songwriting duo.
As of November 22, the 'Days' album is available everywhere online, including Bandcamp and Spotify. The Wood performs next on December 6 at A.R.C @ Camp&Furnace Liverpool.
