Awesome Wells - The Highs And Lows Of De Witt A Stanton

The sound of everyday life is the new sound of cool, it would seem. With already classic acts such as Animal Collective and, independently from the band, Panda Bear leading the front, 2009, or even just this month of January, is offering it up to us on a pretty silver platter. Be it newcomers or old timers, we will most definitely be hearing the outside world through our headphones. So if you’re into it, in addition to the already essential ‘Merriweather Post Pavillion’ and ‘Mr. No’, by newbie Banjo Or Freakout, here is Awesome Wells.

Hailing from Nottingham, Awesome Wells is Jonathan Palmer. Well, when listening to the record, one feels as if they were him, so let’s just say “Jonathan Palmer’s ears.” Because that’s essentially what comes across when playing ‘The Highs And Lows Of De Witt A Stanton’: this guy is an outsider listening in. With samples that span from twittering birds in a Nottingham graveyard to a dictophone recording of a Ukrainian train station at dawn, there’s all sorts thrown in the bag (including a china plate, we kid you not). Like with Diplo’s ‘Top Ranking: A Diplo Dub’ oeuvre, this album begs for the guessing game. It is delicate yet fun.

However, despite the fact that one gets lost amidst the varying and wavering sounds, it is still difficult to truly class this record as innovative. First track, ‘Sunday Morning’, is incredibly Panda Bear-esque and track 7, ‘I Think I Just Heard The Hens Applauding In The House’, is almost a clone of Beirut’s Gulag Orkestar pieces. Minus the vocals. Then again, is that such a bad thing? A genre as wonderful and peaceful as this deserves more recognition and what better way to achieve this than by releasing more of its beauty?

So for all those who appreciate music in its most natural form, this one is solid gold sound.