If you’re a regular reader of OVRLD, you’re already familiar with Seth Woods’ work through his band, Sad Accordions. We’ve been big fans of their The Colors and the Kill EP that was released earlier this year. It’s an eclectic album that shifts from upbeat and bouncy to slow and steady. Woods seems to have chosen to explore the mellower sides of Sad Accordions with his other project The Whiskey Priest, and the result is his second EP under the moniker, Lost Wages.
The Whiskey Priest - The Ballad of the Whiskey Priest
Now, it’s no secret that I don’t tend to be as much a fan of ballad-y songs – though after my recent Wild Child review, I may have to start amending that position. The Whiskey Priest has some chill instrumental tracks, and everything on the EP is deliberate and slow, but it’s never boring. Woods has a great feel for building his tracks. The above “Ballad of the Whiskey Priest” hypnotizes with its drawn out chords before a drum track comes in giving a distinct backbone to the track. More instruments join in slowly, swelling into a truly triumphant piece, and Woods voice breaks and cracks with soft emotion in compelling fashion. Nothing on the album has this beat, but tracks like “Watch Me Tesseract” and “The Sparrow” similarly infuse Woods’ style of letting his tracks breathe with distinctive melodies and hooks.
The Whiskey Priest is releasing their material on a British label (the bandcamp site prices the EP at ₤5!) and is getting some press over there. Between that and Woods now spending a lot of his time in Albuquerque instead of Austin, live shows will probably be few and far between. But thankfully, there is Lost Wages.
– Carter