Imagine you’re walking through the woods. The atmosphere is dreamy and otherworldly, forest sprites whispering to you through the trees. Suddenly, someone comes out of nowhere and punches you in the face.
This is roughly how it feels to listen to Meat and Bones, the stellar first album from New Brunswick group Womb to Tomb.
The 6-track album begins under the premise of a dreamy folk record. The combination of isolated harmonies, dreamy flute and dainty strings is positively haunting. About halfway through, however, there’s a shift in pace and the songs have more of a bluesy edge to them. It keeps the listening experience fresh right until the end.
The vocal chops of the Wong sisters are a standout feature of the album. The opening song, “Mama Bears,” showcases these vocals perfectly. We’re introduced to the harmonies that become a staple of the album, and the only instrumentation is some very minimal percussion.
“Traveller’s Blessing” is the most traditionally folk-sounding song on the record. It feels very narrative and is backed by crooning woodwinds and strings. The arrangement together with the lyrics sound like something dreamt up by a wanderer lost in the woods. Overall, it’s a magical song.
The album’s title song is where things shift gears. The vocals are a bit edgier, a bit more bluesy. This trend continues to build until the finale, a real standout track called “Rebel Say”.
If the whimsical quality of this album were a mirror, this song would completely shatter it. The duo toy with spoken word that’s riddled with social commentary, harsh language and plenty of f-bombs. It’s a killer final track.
Despite the shift in tone, the album remains a folk project at heart. Even the songs that stray from tradition still add to an overall narrative structure. There’s a gripping opening and that builds to a satisfying conclusion. This is the perfect album to transport you to another world, in more ways than one.