The gentler side of shoegaze always seemed like good makeout music in its own way -- there's something about the gossamer blend of guitar lines (to paraphrase approximately one-half of every British press review from 1990).
ForWishes' debut effort follows in this vein, blending a calm,
Slowdive-derived wash with the gentility of a couple of generations of USA Anglophiles, from
For Against to
the Ocean Blue to
Windy & Carl (
Carl Hultgren himself getting a namecheck in the credits as one of the many singers for the final song, "The Lover's Choir"). Though a quartet, lead singer/songwriter
Steven Swartz is the heart of the group, and his wistful ruminations -- sample song titles include "The Farthest Expanse Is Us" and "Put Your Heart Where Your Mouth Is" -- are the key to
I Will Burn Your Winter's lovestruck and sometimes lovesick impact. Many of the songs have acoustic guitar at their base, and if they were any more mannered, awful shades of
Coldplay would be the result, but thankfully
Swartz and crew are entrancing rather than stupor-inducing. His voice is sometimes unpleasantly rough and forced, even at low volume. It may be intentional on songs like "The Lover's Hour," but the effect is not quite worth it. That said, when balanced along the occasional backing vocal from Stephanie McWalters, as on "The Farthest Expanse Is Us," the result is often enjoyable.
Swartz's slyest move may be calling one song "Spangle Maker" but having it turn out to be an original rather than based on
the Cocteau Twins' dramatic classic. A little name association never hurt anyone, though.