Trespassers William - Having

On Having’s opening track, “Safe, Sound,” ambient guitars and obscured vocals gradually come into focus creating a vibrant, atmospheric sound that is both inviting and otherworldly. The song perfectly sets the stage for a beautifully crafted album that never succumbs to any need to provide immediate gratification. Instead, the songs on Having expand and evolve slowly, constructing an unhurried experience that proves to be meaningful and evocative. Vocalist Anna-Lynne Williams is an absolute revelation, hypnotically narrating each tune and expressing a wide breadth of emotion through a focused, constant tone. At times Williams is foreboding, as on “What of Me” when she asks, “Should you be scared when I say sometimes I’d want you dead so no one else can have you when it ends?” At others, the uncertainty and vulnerability she communicates is moving: “Return the words, the looks I give you like they’re falling out of me….could I put my hands up and ask that you stop?,” she questions on “My Hands Up.” Williams’ bandmates provide a dazzling environment for her to thrive within. Their playing is immaculate and stirring. Having received comparisons to acts like Sigur Ros, Mazzy Star and Red House Painters, Trespassers William certainly maintains an intimate, melancholy tone. This constraint makes the group’s potency all the more remarkable as the level of playing rarely eclipses a murmur, yet expresses so much. The closest approximation of a rock song on Having is the ambling “I Don’t Mind,” which employs U2-influenced guitars and a more pronounced emphasis on bass and drums, while Williams sings “More of that, less of this….shine your light, I don’t mind.” Having is an album which should be experienced in totality to allow the radiant array of sounds and imagery to wash over the listener. The members of Trespassers William have not only submitted a record that is substantive but have created an atmosphere that rewards the listener for their trust and patience. [www.trespasserswilliam.com]