For those of us familiar with Ex Libras, if you thought you had them pegged already, forget everything you thought you knew. Taking time out has clearly paid off, bringing them into a sharper focus than before. Opening with the title track ‘Woe’, it wastes very little time setting the scene with the initially muffled introduction before blasting into something harsher and harder, and then, just when you think you’ve settled in, it changes yet again as the vocals and lyrics in the verses are delivered in staccato fashion, startling the listener all over again, as the choruses flow smoothly and chime along with the guitars. In all honesty, Ex Libras have never been one to simply be boxed and packaged Just So, as ‘Woe’ shows off so clearly. The vocals in the verses are in stark contrast to everything else, switching back and forth from a barely above a whisper to an all-out battle cry, closing on a brutal mash of everything they’ve got. It’s hard to believe such a sound could possibly come from just three people, but somehow Ex Libras manage it brilliantly.
In contrast, ‘Leap of Faith’ seems in a different class and frame of mind altogether, once again proving that Ex Libras are a hard band to pin down to one thing, managing to shock and change the picture again. The tempo picks up and the vocals are brought to the forefront, complete with lyrics that burrow through to the back of the brain and repetition that threatens to swallow you whole. The verses are far more delicate in nature as they were with ‘Woe’, but it is much more pronounced and noticeable this time around. The final minute is a bold and brash assault before a sudden, short faded close.
‘Drive’ seems to be in the same kind of place that ‘Leap of Faith’ is in, but time will tell; Ex Libras haven’t been predictable yet. The vocals and lyrics are in the foreground again, simple and with no dressings, the pretty, delicate and slightly ethereal tones and chimes guiding them along and complimenting everything beautifully. Before you know it, everything – vocals and melodies – are given a lift towards the end, bringing with it a whole other dimension that is as large and all-encompassing as it is stunning.
Final track ‘Underachiever’ is the most different of them all, a small, fragile and minimalistic tune, opening with an equally uncomplicated drum solo for an introduction, gradually phasing in the other elements until it becomes something very much other, almost monstrous, but still with that undeniable beauty Ex Libras are and have always been known for; then it drops right back again to those minimalist qualities, letting the music speak for itself. And just when you think it might be the end, it builds up again into a stunning and oh-so-charming wall of sound and then slips suddenly into silence. In all, Woe is one Hell of a rollercoaster ride you won’t ever want to get off of.
[Rating:4.5]
