Windigo

s/t

(c)(p)1998 Pavement Music Inc.

Review by Neil St.Laurent

Thanks to Pavement for the CD

For both this magazine, and Pavement Music, Windigo is certainly a change of pace, and certainly not something normally expected from the label -- although this does appear to be a joint release with the more general NMG label (the parent company of Pavement Music Inc.).

Somewhere within the music offered by bands like The Black Crowes, Monster Voodoo Machine, Cathedral, and others is where this band draws influence. Windigo is very much of the odd spectrum of musical influence, experimental and different, with a wide spectrum sound that ranges from sounding like End Of Green or Serpent, to something more like Rollins' Band. The significant appeal of this band has to be in the diversity of the music offered, and the unpredictability of song influence and structure.

Or the appeal could be the strange simplistic allure that the songs have, a very radio friendly quality at times, or the senseless lyrics that keep the music very light and never too intense. Of course if the album were played completely over the airwaves it may be difficult to determine that it was all the same band, for this is one of those albums that sounds much like a compilation -- in this case possibly of those bands formerly mentioned.

In the end it seems that everything that is appealing about the band, the diversity of influence and musical offerings, are the same qualities that will likely turn many people away from the band. As an overall remark, it can't be positive to say that there is nothing about Windigo that will really make them noticeable within the genres they represent, which is kind of too bad, since the music is generally enjoyable.

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