John Wolfington in Bloomington, MN

Not unlike the late-night listening found on albums by
Cat Power
and
Songs: Ohia
,
John Wolfington
's impressive debut is sedate, sparse, and almost sinister in its slow-burning intensity. Opening with the lovers' lament
"12 mph,"
the album immediately allows listeners into
Wolfington
's deeply personal, open-wounded world. "But I know you now/Baby, you're never gonna change," he repeats, and by the end of the song his voice is as plaintive as
Chan Marshall
's wail on
"Nude as the News."
The next track,
"Ageless Sky,"
is as up-tempo as the album gets -- and even then it never rises above a
lite rock
rumble. Considering the album's hymnal and dismal atmospherics, then, it's probably unsurprising that the album works best when it's piping through headphones or hissing from the car's tape deck under moonlight. Simply put,
demands your undivided attention, but it's an emotional investment well worth your time. ~ Jimmy Draper