Instrumentally eclectic world music and traditional folk tones unite with electric guitar and strong grooves – Woven Green provide the vastness of organic musical escapism, with the beautifully unpredictable and imaginative album Emergence.
Jim Cash of Waking Stone works behind the scenes of Woven Green, a project that first crossed our path back in 2019. Their latest offering begins with an immensely enveloping soundscape, a sense of ambiance and instrumental freedom united as rhythm and flickers of melody rain down.
Commencement is an acoustic to ethereal track, a sort of arena-ready but also intimate composition, spanning an impressive eight minutes, and evolving quite consistently throughout that time. The mood is uplifting, colourful, hopeful – inspiring a sense of possibility or, quite rightfully, the beginning of a new journey.
We then move into the chimes and space of Weaving Dreamtime, a track that points out the versatility of the instrumentation utilised throughout Emergence. Here we get a strong sense of folk or world music influence, a few catchy melodies rising and falling, and a growing electronic aura adding elements of vastness and even rock to the theatrics of the moment.
Cremaster’s Curtain follows and adopts a more cinematic, sci-fi vibe, those electric guitars still piercing through for a level of humanity within the mix. This one is a personal favourite and the longest track of the album, the rhythm and melodies again presenting an inspiring sense of movement and energy.
That quality rings loud throughout Emergence, despite its inherent eclecticism. The electric guitar and these reverb-soaked atmospheric layers are often contrasted by softer hand drum sounds and a kind of organic bounce of a groove.
For A Leap of Faith we enter a blissful realm of spiralling dreams and sentiments unique to each listener – the track almost gamer-like in its depiction of an imaginative realm. Woven Green could in fact create the soundscapes to any number of adventure role playing games, in my opinion.
Made of Mettle then picks up the pace and drama, a catchy stop-start beat and great wind melodies providing an earworm of a highlight. Then for Chrysalis, contrast ensues – a softer and more quiet aura of atmospheric space and vibration unexpectedly surrounding the listener.
Towards the finish, Clarion is simple and familiar sounding, but another highlight for how easy it is to completely lose your focus and drift off into the music. A melodic and mellow progression, with organic drums and dreamy guitars and synths cascading throughout.
Emergence ends its journey with the title-track, recapturing the detail of cinematic design, the humble howl of world music instruments, and the vastness and contemplation that first inspired the album. You can visualise the musicians immersed in the moment here, and as such, the closing track presents the same sense of complete focus and connection with its audience.
Woven Green have done a fine job with these compositions and performances, and the music proves as rewarding as it is impressively skilful. A joy to let fill the room around you.
Find Woven Green on Instagram or their Website.
