I'm a big fan of everything William Elliott Whitmore has put out. I had a song on a sampler cd for ages but somehow hadn't paid much attention to it at the time. I later heard the same song on a mixtape Hugh sent me in the last year of university, but this time I realised it was brilliant. (In my defence, the sampler cd had way too many songs on it.) I picked up this record in Spillers towards the end of the Tuesday-record-from-Spillers year having earlier bought Ashes to Ashes on cd in Generation Records and his Untitled Latitude Session in Spillers. I'm still missing Hymns for the Hopeless, the other record in his early trilogy-of-sorts, but I'm sure I'll pick that one up soon too.
Musically it's lovely, but all of his recordings are. Quite dark and slow for the most part, but that suits his voice so well. And it's his voice that really carries it. He sings like he's in his 80's, having smoked all his life. It's a very unique sound, at least it is in my record collection. A short album, but with 8 incredible songs (and one instrumental that I could live without). Dry and The Chariot are both highlights and a brilliant way to start the album. Take it on the Chin is another lovely moment, carried along by it's simple kick-drum rhythm, and Everyday is a slow finisher that rounds the album off nicely.
I've had the good fortune of seeing Will play live twice now and each time was incredible. The second time was fairly recently in The Windmill in Brixton. When asking for requests, someone jokingly asked for "all of them" and he did pretty much that - a set nearly 3 hours longs and every song of his you could wish for. He's playing End of the Road festival this year and I'm toying with the idea of going. Seeing him in a pub is nice, but I can't think of an act I'd like to see play in a sunny field more than Will Whitmore. It has the potential to be perfect.
Format: 12", gatefold sleeve, picture sleeve
Tracks: 9
Cost: £13 new
Bought: Spillers
When: 25/11/08
Colour: Red
Etching: none
mp3s: no
