Artist: House Of Wolves Album: Fold In The Wind Bitrate: 235kbps avg Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz Label: Fargo Genre: Indie Size: 63.83 megs PlayTime: 0h 36min 14sec total Rip Date: 2013-06-25 Store Date: 2013-06-14 Track List: -------- 01. 50's 4:10 02. Jealous 2:52 03. Acres Of Fire 2:51 04. Ageless 2:29 05. Follow Me 5:18 06. Fold In the Wind 2:31 07. Roses In The Nordic Countries 3:19 08. Love Labored Lost 4:08 09. There She Goes 2:27 10. Waves 4:12 11. Flight 1:57 Release Notes: -------- It might be the bitter side of life that Rey Villalobos likes, but unlike this refrain in the final minute of House of WolvesÆ opening song ô50Æs,ö itÆs his sense of sparse, majestic beauty that instead lies within the groupÆs forthcoming debut album, Fold in the Wind. House of Wolves, the solo vehicle for Los Angeles songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Villalobos, is a significant sonic departure from the orchestral indie rock of his primary band, The Coral Sea, instead embracing a spare, haunting folk aesthetic. For that matter, no one is going to confuse House of Wolves with their more electronically inclined counterparts who fall under the wide umbrella of indie folk. Instead, itÆs VillalobosÆs measured pop sensibilities and the albumÆs organic beauty that makes Fold in the Wind such a stunning, cinematic collection of songs. Relying on little more than acoustic guitar, piano, percussion, and the occasional horn motif, the songs that comprise Fold in the Wind smolder in deliberate fashion with an intimacy rarely experienced outside of live performance. VillalobosÆs voice takes on a soothing, almost feminine quality that captures the essence of the gentle acoustic melodies. But the subtlety of the arrangements is perhaps the albumÆs most underrated and rewarding attribute. There are few artistic or emotional extremes hereùjust top-shelf, evocative songwriting that deepens with each successive listen. Although the album doesnÆt attempt to stray very far musically, the individual songs stand out in remarkable fashion. The tone-setting torch song ô50Æsö drips with nostalgia and breathless melancholy, while ôThere She Goesö is reminiscent of The Velvet Underground at their most reflective. But Fold in the Wind truly hits its stride in the middle of the album: the beautiful ballad ôFollow Me,ö the title trackÆs hypnotic chants, and the near perfect folk of ôRoses In The Nordic Countryö follow consecutively and are nothing short of a tour de force. The closest Fold in the Wind comes to a misstep is the second to last song ôWaves,ö which seems to lack the intangible spark that imbues the rest of the record. ItÆs yet to be seen if House of Wolves will be a permanent side band for Villalobos or a one-off project to be swept away by the return of The Coral Sea. Regardless of the projectÆs future, Fold in the Wind is a true gem with songs that sit in stark contrast to the programmed synthesizers and drum machines that have become so ubiquitous in the recent musical landscape. This is an album that demands your patience, but itÆs a patience that will be richly rewarded.