The previous records by the
Lucky Dragons (aka producer and multi-instrumentalist Luke Fishbecks) were random and chaotic, but they each seemed to have one grounding element that gave the random noise experiments some sort of theoretical basis. The basis of
Widows takes a while for the listener to tease out, but as the record wears on, it begins to reveal itself. The source material for
Widows consists almost entirely of acoustic instruments and quiet wordless vocals; not the folk music as Fishbecks has previously toyed with the form, as on 2002's Dark Falcon where actual old trad folk tunes were used, but seemingly improvised in a quiet, folkie style. The snippets of songs that are relatively unencumbered by Fishbecks' clicks, beeps and whirs sound quite pretty in a low-key, impressionistic way, similar to all those young acoustic guitarists heavily beholden to
John Fahey. As a result, there's a growing tension throughout
Widows, between the melodic ease of the guitar and dulcimer parts and the jagged electronic interruptions that overpower and transform them into new and strange soundscapes. ~ Stewart Mason