Like the
Pyewackit EP which preceded it, the two-disc
Hope Was sees
Soul Whirling Somewhere's music take a turn toward more organic, acoustic-based sounds. An oppressively dark and mournful album, Michael Plaster's third full-length is in essence a concept record exploring the fallout from a broken romance, compounded by an inability to let go; each note is plainly deeply personal, and at times
Hope Was makes for almost painful listening -- it's beautiful in its way, but it leaves the listener exhausted, especially over the course of two CDs. ~ Jason Ankeny