And the sun broke through the clouds…perhaps a touch too dramatic an opening statement for a mere EP review but Woven Tents are not your average – and by that I mean terminally unadventurous – Glasgow band with pretensions extending no further than maximising their indie rock mediocrity. Instead they take an oddball, presumably fuelled by substances ethereal, wander through some loosely structured musical rambles that might loosely be called songs. I know that many a band did this in the late sixties when chasing white rabbits through the woods was in fashion but such cosmic gear shifting is far from common these days.
To their credit, Woven Tents have approached the task in hand with much enthusiasm and that enthusiasm sustains them all the way through the meandering “Neighbourhood Mantra” and into the rather more manic “Sun”. However, the casual listener may think that something is missing – even when it is not – simply because the songs are so resolutely non directional. As if to answer that very criticism, Woven Tents throw in a chunk of theatre that draws successfully on all the arty festival friendly influences whilst providing proof that they can do a song with scope if they really have to.
I have to admit that Woven Tents are a bit too conventional for my personal tastes but I nonetheless have to give them credit for brightening my day.
The EP is available from Bandcamp.