Through a Fogged Glass is the latest release of cellist and Songwriter, Wes Swing. His style is reminiscent of Andrew Bird with an uncanny ability to build beautiful soundscapes and poetry.
When performing live Wes Swing makes great use of loop pedals as he plays cello and violin, creating musical landscapes to unspin his tales upon. He has been playing violin since the age of four and soon built an appreciation for classical music, whispers of which can be heard on Through a Fogged Glass. He is as talented a songwriter as he is a musician but what I like about his music is his natural ability to take melodies and compose and experiment around them, something that suits the clever use of looping and layering.
The album offers great diversity ranging from alt-folk to experimental forays where sound and song are both deep and searching. It’s not short on atmosphere and listening to the album became a journey that I found lent itself to a full listen rather than dipping in and out of tracks. The experimental nature of Blood Branches and the later two part Ghosts, a journey of neo-classical beauty demonstrate the album’s depth. The talented heights of this album are not just instrumental as Song Twelve shows, where Swing demonstrates his vocal prowess with delicate intonation and serene three-part harmonies with his band.
Swing wrote most of the album in a cabin in the woods where he would “crank up the wood stove on cold nights and experiment with literary influences.” He is one of those artists that will be interesting to watch develop to see where he takes his music to next.
Swing has shared the stage with such diverse artists as: Rufus Wainwright, Theresa Andersson, Horse Feathers, Lost in the Trees, Basia Bulat and Devon Sproule who provides the backing vocals on the album.
The album is available as a “name your price” download.