I have been going to the Wolfe Island Music Festival for years now, even though I don’t love most of the music. (That’s not to say I dislike most of the music.) It’s a festival that I attend more for the vibe and the size than the actual music played.

But every so often – every other year or so – I see a band or two there that I actually want to listen to after the show. Weaves is one of those bands. Weaves put on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen at the festival and, unlike some of those bands, they actually played a style of music I thought would stand up on record.

But the first thing I will say about this record is that they are better, or more my taste, live. My girlfriend guessed this would be true and she was right. The band is significantly weirder (and louder) live, and Burke’s presence is more magnetic live than it is on record.

Speaking of Burke, she has an affect. Some of the people I saw Weaves with were put off by it. As someone on RYM pointed out, it’s a little Karen O. But she’s different enough from Karen O – specifically live – that I didn’t notice until I read it. And it’s nice to hear a band this weird fronted by a woman, which is a relatively rare thing.

I generally quite like the music; it is weird enough (though not as weird as it is live) to appeal to me but also pretty catchy if you’re able to get past the angular guitar lines, the atonal stuff and the (relative) noise.

I actually think the weak point might be the lyrics, which are adequate, I guess, but nothing to write home about.

Anyway, this is a pretty damn promising debut though I still think I’d rather see them live.

8/10