Witches. Forever LP

Witches Forever
2011, Bakery Outlet Records


You know those unknown artists you don't think are going to impress you and then you listen to their record and it's just so good that you feel like it's your duty to tell all your friends because it's absolutely criminal that the band doesn't have more fans or fame or notoriety?  That's what Witches is for me.


Witches are a 3-piece group from Athens, GA led by Cara Beth Satalino's raw, jangling guitars and cutting vocals.  There are also drums and bass.  That's it, and it's a big part of what is appealing about Forever.  There are no gimmicks here, just ten songs played as if the band dropped into the studio, played for half an hour, then promptly left.  The results are live and loose, yet with a focused intent and clarity.  Not one song exceeds five minutes and most hover around three.  The sound is lean and tough; nervously jagged guitars buzz and jangle about the soundstage but the sharp, clearly-rendered basslines hold equal importance.  


So the band sounds great, but that wouldn't be worth much if the songs weren't this good and this catchy.  There are slacker anthems and ("Disappointment") and songs that feel like off-the-cuff throwaways ("Grey"), except they aren't insignificant or slight.  Then you get a song like "Feed, "which" begins with Cara Beth Satalino singing and playing alone, almost sounding like a coffee shop singer-songwriter.  But the song veers off in a different direction when the rest of band suddenly drops in, drums clattering and bass rhythmically pushing the pace of the song.  It's that post-punk aesthetic delivered by the bass that really elevates Forever above a lot of the precious, pretentious indie rock out there.  Unfortunately, the drums are the weak link here; they don't match the insistence of the bass and can occasionally feel a bit plodding.


Satalino's lyricism effectively reflects the band's direct, straight-to-the-point playing.  There is something vaguely familiar-and somewhat comforting-about CBS's sinuous, languid vocals.  She sings with confidence, but her lyrics are often colored with a gently sardonic view of life, as when she opens "Never Sez Why" with the line "Till up the soil, pull up the plot / Turn your backyard, into a parking lot."  Her words are spoken plainly and conversationally but most importantly they don't feel contrived.  They are humorous and self-deprecating and they cut straight to the bone, occasionally all at the same time in the case of "Disappointment:" "You twist the knife, I just wanted to talk to you."


It's a great sounding record with really strong songs, and it's one of my personal favorites from the past year.  You can pick up the LP for 9 bucks from Bakery Outlet Records.