More Info
It’s the second time around for Leigh Wildman and his aptly named second album. And there have certainly been some changes.
For one, Wildman has gone closer to home. The sleeve depicts various enticing young men and women as pictured in and around his very own boutique back in the 1990s, except they are all draped in 1960s chic; there is a kind of juxtaposition here that marries familiarity with timeless style, and this all stems from just a single photoshoot. The fact the main image is here - serving as a fitting portal into Wildman’s 2024 album - is a testament to life’s artistic unpredictability, and ultimately, going with the flow.
That sense of timelessness paired with nostalgia ripples through the record itself. Take album opener ‘Automatic Gravity Control’, which careens and noodles its way into the ears as if emitting from a large canyon. There are elements of the Americana sound here that Wildman partially evoked on his debut effort (The Exciting Sound Of The Machine, HC001), and the overall feeling is that this is a tribute to something. Its closest auditory relative (Ween’s ‘A Tear For Eddie’) was one of music’s great tributes after all.
Wildman 2 is essentially a journey. It is steeped in a bluesy, meandering world most at home in America’s wide open spaces and endless potential. Yes, each track brings something unique (especially the cutting riff at the beginning of ‘Do It Rock 1’), but this is a cohesive, consistent epic that paints a picture without words. Whether it's the jangling, lackadaisical percussion, the rich and winding guitar or the tiny occasional snippets of English voices, Wildman 2 brings a plethora of transatlantic influences to the table with ease.
And it's easy to do so when unpredictability is a strong point. Going with the flow, it seems, never sounded quite so good.
FFO: Eddie Hazel, Jimi Hendrix
Tracklist
Side 1
Automatic Gravity Control
Inspired By The Vortex
The Winds Of Fate
Angels Voice Heard For The First Time
Side 2
Between The Earth And The Moon
Astral 8
Do It Rock 1
Progressive Pop Experience
You Need Travellers Cheques
Do It Rock 2
Lord Shipwreck