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BLACK WINGS : Meltwater

Black Wings are a revelation. Hailing from the backwaters of Palmerston North, this three-piece (Brendan Conlan - guitar/lead vocals, JC Burns - bass/vocals, Tristam Laycock - drums) formed in 2006 and have gigged selectively around the lower North Island. Theirs is a dark and folky, slightly gothic oeuvre, sitting (un)comfortably in the swamps of life. It’s wry, honest, evocative of life’s fate and folly, slightly sarcastic but never over indulgent. Song subject matter is wide-ranging. The Grave pairs lost love with the comfort of addiction; Straight Jacket describes a day in court awaiting an outcome regarding a relationship settlement, and plenty of poetic local references in The Pahiatua Track and the title gem, amongst other lyrical genius. A rich lived-in vocal, a dirgey bass, and a clear chiming guitar steer the music into uniquely Antipodean territory – Nick Cave, Spencer P Jones, Hugo Race, Roland S Howard, Graham Jefferies all spring to mind. There’s even a cover of Paul Kelly’s I Won’t Be Your Dog Anymore to seal the deal. It’s immediately engaging, refreshingly original and low key but rather haunting. I was sold from the opening notes, and if you like alternative folky gothic country, you will be too. An impressive debut.

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