Originally Posted by Pet_Sounds

I kick off my series of reviews of the music of Banterers with a look at the band of a member with whom I had previously never had the pleasure of exchanging pleasantries: Miss wolverinewolfweiselpigeon, formerly Junkyard Donner, and perhaps better known to you as Steph.

I have literally no idea what to expect going into this - WWWP and I have never spoken about music before, and I don't know what she's into. But if the rest of the album sounds anything like the opening track, Bed And Breakfast, it should be a fun ride. The vocalist has a pleasant, almost nasally sound, and I love the way he says the r's on the ends of words like "former lover".

Percussion opens the next track, Cheap Cream. This one has a real hip-hop vibe to it, which I'm not a fan of, generally. But the way Snake Walk performs it feels different. WWWP informs me it's "folksy arthop". I'll take her word for it. By the end of this relatively short song, I'm tapping my feet.

Rain Gallery has some nice guitar lines - almost a country feel to them at times. I think I hear a female vocal in there too, which I'm guessing is our WWWP. While listening to this, I had headphones on, and there was this voice in the left channel that made me spin around, thinking someone was behind me. It segues into

Fresh Toffee Apples, which has some weird spoken word about apples being stuck at the bottom…? There's also a bit of what sounds like half of a telephone conversation. According to WWWP, her bandmate recorded it at a party - someone was giving him advice. The lyrics remind me of one of my all time favourite poems, Robert Frost's After Apple Picking.

And now I'm onto the closer, For Lulu, a Shiv to the Gut. This sounds like a mix of hip-hop, country, folk, rock, and a bit of something else. Over seven minutes of shifting beats, great grooves, and really awesome vocals. Apparently Lulu needs a "shiv to the gut". Whatever that is, it doesn't sound like a pleasant experience, and I pity the poor girl.

Snake Walk Demo really wasn't anything like I've heard before. The mixing was great - stereo effects were used tastefully and the sound quality pristine. If I had to sum the album up in one word, I would pick "subtle". There was nothing invasive - just awesome, laidback folksy arthop, great for relaxing with on a snowy afternoon.

Note: this is not inspired by Trollheart's thread in any way. Just an unfortunate case of two of us having an idea at the same time. But I have the first review up!