I can’t say that I am a late nights and misty mornings kind of guy. Mornings have always seemed ideologically unsound to me yet there are many people out there who like to ponder matters of the heart and conscience in those hours when being unconscious should be the preferred option. It is perhaps to those worshippers of introspection as a lifestyle choice that “All We Do Is Feel” by Wildes will have the most appeal.
Whilst introspection is the glue that holds “All We Do Is Feel” together, this is still an album with a coherent concept behind it and one that has an almost relentless insistence of maintaining a steady and consistent pace. That is, of course, an artistic choice and it is one that suits these songs well with Wildes’ words resonating with emotion and a degree of, almost poetic, wistfulness. This, therefore, makes this less of album for you and me to listen to when in earbud mode as we walk the streets in the daylight than an album that gets you through those nights when you find yourself alone. It is also perhaps a sign of the times that matters of the heart are no longer proclaimed in song but, instead, the after effects are pondered over until dawn breaks.
The combination of melancholy and contemplation does seem to be the modern way but it is to Wildes’ credit that she can make a convincing case for finding the cloud in every silver lining. “All We Do Is Feel” is duly an album that has been well named.
Available on Bandcamp on vinyl and from the usual digital places.