Style: Progressive rock, alternative metal (clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson, Karnivool, Tool
Country: Netherlands
Release date: 31 May 2022
The business model for any small band must be complicated—practising in the evenings, recording at the weekends, touring when you’re on leave—but god knows what it must be like when you’re a studio-only band. Most artists do this for the love of the craft, and there are always going to be trade-offs, more so if the revenue stream of ticket sales (small though it probably is) and the increased exposure that touring will net you, aren’t an option. That probably explains why The Last Scattering Surface, the third album from studio-only band Look to Windward, was funded via Kickstarter.
What are the fans kickstarting? In Look to Windward’s work you’ll hear a big Porcupine Tree influence bolstered by a bit of Tool and Karnivool alt metal off-kilterness in the heavier polyrhythmic sections. Now based in the Netherlands after having lived in the UK and New Zealand, Andrew McCully, the founder (alongside Benjamin Morley who has since left, but still provides guest vocals on most releases) and main driving force behind Look to Windward, offers some sweeteners to the deal: The Last Scattering Surface will be released with a 5.1 surround sound mix alongside a Blu-Ray full-length animated film.
“Why Ask?” kicks proceedings off with a bang, energetic and heavy, “Relic” experiments with a more ethereal tone with a strong use of Moog for a throwback vibe, while the somewhat eerie trip-hop lament of “When You Go Away” is somewhat reminiscent of Steven Wilson’s “Ancestral”, the sombre tempo interrupted by a brief but energetic solo section. Guest vocalist Emily Rice, who has worked with McCully for a few records now, is a strong presence throughout, and makes her most significant contribution on lengthy ballad “Theia Arrived One Fateful Day (III)”, which builds up to a strong climax and an unusual guitar solo conducted in the idiosyncratic style of Adrian Belew (King Crimson); she also delivers a lovely duet with McCully on “Earth Overture (I)” over an almost electronica style beat which I wish was explored more fully. The one-two of “Spin” and “The Condition” in the album’s latter stages is probably the best section of the album, offering us the weirdest track and the most energetic track respectively, “Spin” experimenting more with synth and vocal distortion while building chaotic layers, and“The Condition” featuring the album’s strongest riffs.
But the presence of stronger riffs implies the existence of weaker riffs, and “Dance of the Futile” demonstrates that problem well. While the ten-minute epic showcases Look to Windward’s heavier and stranger qualities, juxtaposing strange synth and lead guitar textures against heavier grooves, it nevertheless outstays its welcome, recycling a fairly uninteresting riff to its detriment. Indeed, this problem is writ large throughout The Last Scattering Surface: the moments of heaviness are a necessary counterpoint to the lighter textures, but there are few interesting riff ideas—the chord choices are strong but the execution lacks bite and all is conducted at a fairly uniform tempo (the drummings share guilt on this point). Indeed, the rhythm section feels a bit neglected overall, trudging serviceably, dragging down the tracks by bestowing an unfortunate sense of monotony. At sixty-one minutes, The Last Scattering Surface is hardly a short album, and the lack of variety makes it drag. There’s a distinct core sound here, one that blends the wonky strangeness of Fortune Haze and the more overt Wilson worship of In Fantasy and that’s a great step forward. But now, within that signature style, Look to Windward need to find variation, and much of that is needed within the rhythm section.
The number of assets Look to Windward have to work with is admirable: a distinctive sound, talented guests, and exquisite production. Unfortunately, there’s a certain clunkiness in the rhythm section that holds The Last Scattering Surface back, making some moments drag more than they should and contributing to a lack of variation. I don’t think Look to Windward’s fans will be at all disappointed in this release, which effectively builds on their last album’s sound whilst looking back to their debut, too, but, unfortunately, The Last Scattering Surface couldn’t quite win me over.
Recommended tracks: Why Ask?, Spin, The Condition
You may also like: Inhalo, Fjieri, Hyco, Smalltape
Final verdict: 6/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent
Look to Windward is:
– Andrew McCully (vocals, guitars, keys, programming, production)
With:
– Benjamin Morley (guest vocals)
– Emily Rice (guest vocals)
– Andy Smith (lead guitar)
– Oriol Nieto (guest vocals)
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