ALBUM REVIEW: As The Moon Rests – A.A. Williams
A.A. WILLIAMS‘ debut album, Forever Blue, was a gothic, morose affair that stopped anyone who heard it in their tracks. An emotional vulnerability was underpinned by her own low, stirring voice and lush orchestrations sat alongside post-rock crescendos; even a feature from CULT OF LUNA’s Johannes Persson wasn’t the most devastating moment on it. During the pandemic, she turned to her growing, dedicated fanbase for inspiration for covers that resulted in Songs From Isolation, as well as reworking her entire debut EP into arco for a 10-piece string orchestra; both those projects as well as her own restless creativity have informed her second album, the – spoiler alert – frankly gorgeous As The Moon Rests.
From the outset of Hollow Heart, it’s clear this is a far more rock-oriented album, but the additional weight in the guitars is offset by just as many delicate passages. Evaporate has minimalist piano melody over doom-like guitar, with strings lending even more depth to them with droning swells. As before, Williams’ voice takes centre stage, at once intensely vulnerable and totally arresting. The gothic edge is honed to a fine point, every song grandiose in ambition and emotionally rich.
The title paints a picture of the dwindling light of day, but perhaps if taken literally, also the gradual rising of the sun as the moon goes to rest; both of those elements are present, held in perfect balance with one another as songs like Pristine seem to bring forth some lighter moments before guitars and strings crash back and Williams‘ dusky croon takes over once more. Shallow Water employs a simple melody but it’s no less effective in communicating its raw emotional weight, while For Nothing, initially serving as a musical challenge she set herself to write a song that didn’t change chord for its runtime, is just as devastating.
Some say there’s a beauty in minimalism, and while As The Moon Rests is not a minimalist album – see the maximalist title track that builds from simple guitar to a kitchen sink post-rock crescendo that’s simply sublime in its expansive beauty – there’s still some level of simplicity at its heart. Where some may use a myriad of notes or chords to convey their story, A.A. WILLIAMS does so using melodies and arrangements that, taken together, convey the strongest of emotions and the grandest of storytelling through even the quietest, most minimal of moments.
There’s so much to be said of As The Moon Rests and A.A. WILLIAMS’ prodigious talent, but none of that truly compares to the experience of actually listening. Her classical training and love of metal shine in equal measure; she writes gothic, doomy, post-rock movements that rise and fall, ebb and flow from subdued quiet to an emotional grandeur that’s enough to move to tears. Taking the significant promise of Forever Blue, the experience she’s gained, and the desire to further her own creativity and artistry, As The Moon Rests is gorgeously wrought and nothing short of show-stopping.
Rating: 9/10
As The Moon Rests is set for release on October 7th via Bella Union.
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