Warpaint — contrary to what the name conjures — is a four-piece all- female band based in L.A., and The Fool is their debut full-length, following a 2009 EP titled Exquisite Corpse. Staying the course with their goth-tinged psychedelic folk, The Fool is a beautiful tapestry of dusky, hazy tunes that deliver on mood rather than real hooks. Opening track “Set Your Arms Down” may be an anti-war screed, or a narcoticized plea to a feuding lover, but either way it envelops the listener like smoke, difficult to nail down when the track ends. Full of solemn, effects-heavy bass lines, wispy, reverb-wrapped vocals and languid, sleepy rhythms, The Fool captures the mood of several genres in one swoop, including genteel singer-songwriter ambience (“Baby,” “Shadows”), which shows a fearless skill for cross-pollinating. Lovely.
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