industrialmusic.tqn.com

British band with an American sound

Hailing from a small town called Wigan in the north of England, Witness UK exhibit very little of a typical British sound. Their songs are mid tempo modern rock songs flavored with Americana. The wonderful vocal harmonies and intertwined guitar work bring to mind Murmer period R.E.M. (probably a welcome sound for most people). Acoustic strums fill the album while piano lines fill it with melancholy. The lead guitar gracefully floats over the top with an hint of twang while the bass and drums are so solid that you barely notice them. Singer and main songwriter Gerard Starkie often sounds as if he's on the verge of a breakdown. In the song "Avalanche" he sings "and then you've gotta wait there for an avalanche/ to cover you / but you know you've gotta scream / to shake the ice on the side of the mountain free." This, the second album by Witness UK, is a wholly fulfilling album that delivers with every song.