Whitley - Go Forth Find Mammoth

The feeling of unbridled anticipation is one of the simple pleasures that the enjoyment of music brings. It marks the beginning of a beautiful journey and a moment in time, discovering and sharing an artist’s personal reflections and thoughts through their lyrics and melodic sound. Having heard Whitley’s amazing and infectious first single “Head, First, Down” from his, then upcoming, sophomore CD “Go Forth Find Mammoth” (a month out from its official release) that anticipation was well and truly set and growing.

I first heard Whitley about 12 months earlier, performing a stripped back acoustic version of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” and what impressed me, besides his original arrangement, was his voice; a low, husky, whispering tone that put a totally different slant on that timeless pop gem. Yes, I know, ABBA that guilty pleasure much akin to the “M” word, an activity everybody participates in but no one admits to, anyway I digress. That was the last I heard of Whitley (real name Lawrence Greenwood) the 22-year-old musician who hails from Melbourne Australia, for a considerable while but it would not be the last.

“Go Forth, Find Mammoth “(released 31 October, 2009) is a beautifully crafted and addictive musical collection of folk infused pop, that takes you down a path of life’s experiences, setbacks, joys and unexpected mysteries. From the CD’s opening instrumental song “1945”, you seem instantly swept away by gorgeous ambient sounds, subliminally substituted for any lyrical content, effortlessly morphing into the second track “Poison In Our Pocket”. From here the combination of acoustic guitar (fingers plucking away up and down the fretboard) and those unmistakable Whitley vocals, take us on a hypnotic journey allowing us to reflect on times that may have once past us by. The same could be said of “Winter Warmer Sky” and “Killer” where the former acts as the perfect precursor that guides us dreamily into the latter, suddenly opening with the successive progression of catchy chords. However, in my opinion, it’s the lush vocals of Hazel Brown that completely mesmerise the listener, perfectly complementing Whitley on this track.

The sound of a rainstorm introduces (and subsequently completes) the reflective and emotionally stirring track “The Piece You Took From Me”, the interesting fact is that the sound isn’t a synthetic reproduction but an actual recording taken during a storm: - only organic additives allowed on this CD and absolutely nothing wasted. The journey ends, pretty much in the same way that it started, with the coupling of interrelated and intertwining tracks, this time “Facades I” and “Facades II”, provide a fitting closure, a moment that musically marks the end of the road and a time to appreciate.

You can’t help but listen to the stories that unfold musically before you, the entire CD is honestly “all killer with no filler”, no sub standard tracks have been inserted in a bid to flesh out its content. This being said, it’s a CD that really needs to be listened to in chronological order, otherwise you lose the sense of the intended magical and mystical journey that Whitely cleverly paves in the form of the carefully arranged track listing.

As with Silverchair, MGMT and more recently Muse, Whitley has the ability to captivate and attract alternate and mainstream listeners alike, without compromising his musical credibility. So give your ears, mind and soul an early Christmas present, “go forth” and discover this hidden gem of 2009 from a truly gifted and talented artist.