Pale White Moon’s Call of the Wolf Peach draws on Native American influences and folktales whose songs carry listeners through the seasons and a well-grounded story.
The title of the album and the accompanying cover image of a floating woman stre
tching out her arm to call wolves out of the forest with her sweet peach is a good reflection of the album’s contents. It’s straight-forward in its statement that this is the call of the wolf peach, but it also leaves room for interpretation with the mysteriousness of the blank eyes, the second arm holding another peach well-out of reach and the dark sky. Like this image, the musical contents are straight-forward, but they also have an element that’s just out of reach of a simple interpretation. Album opener, “Heirlooms,” is warmingly akin to “Ashokan Farewell” with it’s light plucky pattern with rich arco bowings weaving an extra layer of pattern into the tune, but then like the gray sky on the album cover, it broods into a mysterious, glassier sound–I think done by enharmonics–and it’s like a wind whispering unattainable secrets through the familiar tune.
“Heirlooms” is the start to summer and the next few songs carry listeners through the seasons. “Stars Hollow Day” brings in some light piano and is the type of tune that you’d listen to while walking through a park on a warm day. “The Seven Years Cicadas” is the type of song best suited to resting on a rocking chair on a porch during dusk as the cicadas emerge to welcome the night. And yes, I believe those are really the recordings of real cicadas used in this song.
“The Search for Helium Three” and “Sir Basil Humphrey’s House on the Hill” begin to get a heavier feel, which I feel is a transition from the summer into late fall and early winter. “Sir Basil” follows a sort of oompah pah pattern made by the use of tuba. I picture Sir Basil as one of those tubbier chaps who like to wear the black pants with red stripes and a matching bowtie. He probably is the type of guy to wear a bowtie and a monocle.
The album namesake, “The Wolf Peach,” is the heart of the album. Again there are rich pizzicato layers behind rich bowings on lower string instruments. It my favorite song on the album and much like my favorite season of Autumn, it’s beautiful, but too brief. Autumn is over once frost hits, and fittingly, “Frost Flowers” follows. The frosty element of this tune is in the airy vocals and the dramatic lyrics.
Finally the album ends with “Stars Hollow Days,” which much as the seasons run full circle, the album has circled back on itself–the third track was a singularly titled “Stars Hollow Day,” and it’s brighter sound carries listeners into spring. It has a vintage quality to it that kind of makes me think of the days of Mary Tyler Moore, which is similar to the vibe track 3 gave.
This really is a seasonal album and there are some amazing qualities going on, but my only regret is that it wasn’t a completely instrumental album. Vocals are sparse, but with a song like “Heirlooms” starting the album off, “Rabbit’s Run” comes as a bit of a shock for a follow-up when nasally vocals are paired with the full-sounding strings.
Nonetheless, this was a great release from Pale White Moon, so be sure to check them out with Call of the Wolf Peach and perhaps catch them featured on “This American Life.”
Track Listing:
1. Heirlooms
2. Rabbits Run
3. Stars Hollow Day
4. The Seven Year Cicadas
5. The Search for Helium Three
6. Sir Basil Humphrey’s House on the Hill
7. The Wolf Peach
8. Frost Flowers
9. Stars Hollow Days
