Willard Grant Conspiracy
Regard the End (Kimchee) Fronted by vocalist and songwriter Robert Fisher, the Willard Grant Conspiracy is a musical collective of sorts, featuring a rotating cast of 31 from around the world. Recorded in Slovenia, since, as Fisher notes, that’s where the band happened to be when the album needed to be born, Regard the End is their fifth album and most consistently satisfying work to date. Eighteen musicians were involved, including Kristin Hersh and Jess Klein who added vocals. They use an amazing array of acoustic and electric instruments including viola, trumpet, pump organs, grand pianos, violin, and acoustic and electric guitars to craft airy soundscapes that could take place anywhere, but invariably recall the wide-open spaces of the American Southwest. The “end” in the title refers to death, and the album is a tonal meditation on mortality. Yet it’s never downhearted. In fact, Regard the End is a listening experience that’s ultimately uplifting and remarkably powerful. Traditional tunes like “River in the Pines” and “Day Is Past and Gone” mix with Fisher originals like “Beyond the Shore” and “Fare Thee Well” in such a way that it’s impossible to tell which is which. Of course the subjects of death, misery, suffering, and hardship have long been a part of Gothic folk traditions. But WGC has found a way to express it in an unusual way, one that builds on that heritage to create a sound that’s truly inspired and unique. (Friday, March 19, 8pm @ Blender Balcony at the Ritz)
This article appears in March 19 • 2004.