Wash the Sins Not Only the Face

Editors’ Notes Streamlining their spookiness, Esben & The Witch achieve a darkly luminous sound on Wash the Sins Not Only the Face. Here, they're emphasizing song hooks as well as atmosphere. Singer Rachael Davies carries herself with the air of a bewitched medieval maiden as she brings a hint of jazzy rhythm to her haunting declamations. As an ensemble, Esben & The Witch wrap folk-rooted tunes in billowing feedback washes punctuated with delicate guitar filigree and crisp drumwork. Gauzy incantations like “Slow Wave” and “Shimmering” are matched with kinetic outbursts like “Despair” and stately ruminations like “Yellow Wood.” The band is inviting even when exploring bleak emotions, as the Sundays-like “Deathwaltz” shows. This interweaving of gentle and astringent textures frames lyrical scenes of ethereal vagabonds on shadowy journeys through distant kingdoms. The ominous restraint of “Pulling Down the Prey” and “The Fall of Glorietta Mountain” lead into the unleashed sonic violence of “Smashed to Pieces in the Still of the Night,” ending the album with a satisfying shiver.