[This review originally appeared in The Scene.]

The Promise Ring – Wood/Water (Anti)

Band moves to wilderness, makes weird record. Unfortunately, such a scenario doesn’t sound all that original these days what with home recording equipment becoming cheaper and of higher fidelity. Nevertheless, the Promise Ring, those chirpy poster boys of Midwest emo-pop, having pulled through brain tumors and Spin interviews, retreated to England with Smiths/Blur producer Stephen Street and made a record unlike any they’ve previously done. The result, Wood/Water, is altogether… wholesome. It’s warm and soft and greatly unlike their last full-length, 1999’s Very Emergency. Gone is the pop sheen. Present is a newly found exploration into the textures of the instruments. (continue reading…)