A-Maison. Erm, as in 'amazing'...
To any normal functioning human being, the news that a member of Forward, Russia! is releasing some new music under a new guise will inspire a sensation similar to having fireworks going off inside your tummy. Not in a food poisoning way, in a punch-the-air level of excitement way. Well, prepare to set your face to 'joyous', for Whiskas is going it alone. Masquerading as Honour Before Glory these days, we've got our paws on The Maison EP and you know what? It's pretty good.
Four years in the making, this little treat is a tiny glimpse of what's to come with the forthcoming release of full-length This Is Broken Lines. It's a step out into a new world of creative possibility for this former Russian; with the beauty of exploration and experimentation allowing the record to grow and take shape right in front of you.
Title track Maison takes on two different forms, both in an original solo venture and an additional 'Players Version'- in which Whiskas gets by with a little help from his friends. The first is a movingly honest and vulnerable whisper of a track, a sense of freshness as apparent as a clean chill on your face during a lone early morning walk. The reworking, while not vastly different, is offered some instrumental depth and creates a much vaster perception of sound. It's rugged, it's quietly solemn but also offers a real sense of personality. Touches of post-rock guitar during a mounting section towards the end sound divine.
In contrast, The Maisonette demonstrates a really involving ability to harness a sense of energy and pace but in a relatively confined and meticulously measured space. As it moves through it's bars, a real feeling of strength emanates from the structured rhythms and rock-led guitar work. Muted vocals still manage to do a lot of talking (proved further in the acoustic version of the track)... but we already knew about Whiskas' ability for that.
This Is Broken Lines is due for release in March... and we're going to be completely ravenous for it after this little appetiser.