This digital and streaming release arrived only with the information that could be gleaned from a short promo piece, and the nuts and bolts of the recording posted on the album’s Bandcamp page. There is some mention of previous bands, none of whom I recognize, as well as references to influences, none of which seem to really describe Death Doula. But that’s all as it should be since a bit of mystery suits this shadowy music made by a band named for a person that helps people die.
“Obstacles” sets a languid tone, which returns throughout the record, and vocalist/guitarist Kerry Jones’ limpid voice is up front in the mix amid instrumentation that is deceptive in its building intensity. This first comes across as pop music, but the foundation quickly turns too rugged to fit neatly into that box. Almost a little like Michael Gira’s post-Swans Mk. I band, Angels Of Light. “Poet For Hire” ups the intensity a bit, the guitar warm, the drums cascading, and Jones’ clear and commanding voice often the centerpiece.
But after the soaring of “Poet For Hire,” things come back to earth with “The Witness.” The music drones and stomps but remains slightly ethereal despite the earthiness. Post-punk comes more to the fore with “Disembark,” as guitarist Kyle Alexander chimes and shimmers. The rhythm section of bassist Keith Vidal and drummer Adam Kozie lock-in and swing rather than following the more linear tendencies of the genre. To my ears, the clean, rhythmic guitars of “Entanglements” paired with Jones’ unaffected vocal bring to mind Scrawl, who released a series of excellent records in the ’80s and ’90s whose lack of artifice or big distortion often left them overlooked in the grunge years.
“Insatiable Beings” slows things down even more, the gentle, walking verses punctured by roiling, seasick choruses. It’s hard not to think of Mazzy Star on “Dirty Shirt,” although Jones is not hushed. There is just some of that same haziness, and the band is in no hurry to get anywhere in just over three minutes. This atmosphere is taken a step farther on “Loom,” which actually is hushed. This might be the first song to give a listen to on Bandcamp as it also has the biggest hook of the record. Not that Death Doula seems too concerned about confection of that nature. “Dory Joins Alfred” ends the records as mysteriously as it started, and while I can’t say I have any concrete idea what Jones is singing about, Love Spells seems an apropos title all around.
Nine songs in about 35 minutes is a refreshing change of pace in this era of 80-minute digital releases. Nothing here is extraneous and nothing needs to be skipped. The overall impression is not far off from watching dark clouds race overhead while standing beside the roiling Williamette River of the band’s Portland, Oregon, home. I’d say it’s certainly worth taking a trip into the afterworld with Death Doula.
