MONTHLY MUSIC: SHEEP, DOG & WOLF

Years ago, when I first got started blogging it actually wasn't here - it was on a collaborative music review blog that has long since been inactive. Music has always been a huge part of my life and writing about artists that I was passionate about was such a natural thing to do and I've been longing to get back into that habit. So, here's my first installment of Monthly Music, where I'm going to re-immerse myself into writing about music.
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I'm late to jump on this bandwagon especially considering that Sheep, Dog & Wolf released his first album Egospect over 2 years ago, but nonetheless I'm jumping on - better late than never. After his previous band had broken up, Daniel McBride, New Zealand native, took the opportunity to write his own music and recorded it all in his bedroom. With fluency in (what seems like) every instrument and a knack for harmonization, this multi-faceted musician creates enigmatic soundscapes filled with layers of rich tones and syncopated beats.

I first heard Glare and was captured by the rapidly moving first verse which has the same feeling of trying to finish a sentence in one breath, and knew I needed to hear more. The vocals remind me of Woodkid or King Krule in that (to me) they have a semblance of an accent that accompanies a full, deep sound that is carried in and out of harmonies. Having never been to New Zealand, or anywhere near that part of the Pacific Ocean, I'm probably just drawn to the fact that his sound is so different and unique.

While I'm a sucker for complex harmonies, I'm a bigger sucker for a great saxophonist - which of course Daniel is. Having said that saxophone is his main instrument, (in this interview) it's no surprise to hear it featured throughout many of the tracks.

It's difficult to pinpoint what genre Sheep, Dog & Wolf falls under - so I won't try. It tells a story, both in lyrics and in the atmosphere it creates, both of which are resonating strongly with me at this point in my life. Here's to hoping he's working on another album! Take a listen to Egospect - I've been enjoying Problems/Canvas, Not Aquatic, and Ablutophobia.