That Witch is a strange and beguiling affair. Opening up with some squealing and squalling guitars, a maelstrom of raucous sounds which then stop as violently as they started, to settle down into a soft and soulful piano piece. It feels like you have walked through the most bitter and battering sonic winds to emerge in the eye of the storm, a place of calm and safety.
But the peace doesn’t last long and soon you are leaving the nuanced bass lines and spacious sounds behind as you head back out into the wild weather. This time it is full of disembodied voices, half-heard, ghostlike and full of menace.
Jeff Goldsmith builds his soundscape into a real battle of dynamics and pace, as happy to talk intimately to the listener as he is to try to drag them kicking and screaming from this world into an alternative dimension. And when was the last time a piece of music made you fear for your sanity, not to mention your very life? Not for a while, I’ll wager.
