Listen: Billy Pilgrim is unstuck in time…

The Great Wilderness self-describes as “dream rock.” But the dreams they spin are populated by shrieking men, bloodied and battered men, howling wolves, rebels, storms, crashing trains, twisting bones and tearing flesh, and madness. If I had these dreams I would be afraid to fall asleep. I would sit up all night huddled in a corner of my bedroom, a single dripping red candle beside me, repeating the chorus mantra of “Hexagon:” Say I’m awake I’m alive! Say I’m awake I’m alive!

The Great Wilderness (Paola Rogue – vocals and guitar, Jimena Torres – vocals and guitar, Marco Gölcher – bass, and Diego Trika – drums) is rooted in San Jose, Costa Rica. Their first full-length LP, In the Hour of the Wolf, was released in November 2013. The nine tracks convey a riveting sense of urgency. The songs want to be listened to now.

In the Hour of the Wolf opens with the sonic buzz of “Vonnegut,” a pulsating instrumental wakeup call. The drummer wants to drill a hole through your head so that his beats will not be impeded by mere eardrums.

The following track, “Hexagon,” opens with a guitar telegraphing a warning, an SOS from an insomniac perhaps. The theme continues as the riff is repeated in the next song, “Dawn (Platonic).”

“In the Hour of the Wolf” features Jimena’s cooler harmonies over Paola’s visceral lead vocal and the interplay of two distinctive guitar styles. But peel back the wall of sound and we find a chilling tale of death and destruction…

I was older way back then 
when you tried to push him 
out the window into the road 
all bloodied and battered 
a sickness that eats men alive 
leaving nothing behind 

The LP closes with “Valley of Light,” a sweeping aural vista that contains the Mother of All False Endings: over a minute of silence in the middle of the song. When The Who released “My Generation” in 1965, some listeners thought the feedback-laden guitar solo was the result of a problem with the record’s pressing. I had the same thought about this track: a problem with the download maybe? But, hey, it made me listen to the song three or four extra times wearing earbuds and turning the volume up to max at the moment of silence. Was there something back there? A secret message? It turns out that the song following the silence is a “hidden track” called “#33.” The great tradition of hidden tracks has taken a hit with the advent of individually downloaded files. Thumbs up to the band for trying to breathe life into an idea that is nearing expiration.

With the help of the internet, I “caught up with” Paola Rouge who was kind enough to give me some extra details about The Great Wilderness…

What is the Origin Story of The Great Wilderness?

TGW was born in 2010 from the ashes of a previous band I had. The drummer [Andrea San Gil] and I started playing again. I called in an old friend from my teenage years [bassist Monserrat Vargas], and we began the compositions for what would be our first EP, Afterimages of Glowing Visions. It was a different band back then. For starters, we were all girls. Before we finished recording I met Jimena (guitar) and she turned out to be the missing piece. As time went by, some people left the band and Marco (bass) and Trika (drums) came in as replacements. They fit right in. We’re very happy.

What is the process for writing the songs?

Our songs begin in my house. I start playing basic structures; melodies always come first, lyrics come last. I then take the resulting track to the guys and we start building up and arranging it until it reaches its full potential. We try to forget about egos and focus on the music, so there’s a lot of criticism for art’s sake.

How are the guitar parts divided between you and Jimena?

We don’t really have a lead vs. rhythm division. But each of our instruments has a specific sound and role. My guitar has this crunchy, stormy, heavy sound and hers is delicate, almost peaceful and precise. It’s very similar to what happens with my vocals and her backing parts. I growl, she paints.

Are there many bands like The Great Wilderness and Colornoise (see previous post) in Costa Rica?

The Costa Rican music scene is moving forward each day. There’s a generation of bands that has expanded the limits of alternative music in our country by touring overseas, playing important festivals, and making great records. We’re lucky to call them our peers. Some of the bands I enjoy the most are Colornoise, Zopilot, The Tower, Saturno Devorando, and Foffo Goddy. Their styles are not very similar to ours, but I like what they’re doing.

Any message you would like to send to the small but intelligent band of music lovers who follow Reverb Raccoon?

I’d like to thank you and your readers for the attention given to our work. Our main goal is to just share the music with as many people as we can, and let people know that things are happening in Costa Rica.

In the Hour of the Wolf is available for download on Bandcamp>. Any price, including free. But try to pay something. This is good music and the artists who create it deserve something for their efforts.

Join the band on their website, on Facebook, and on Twitter. And check out some extra tracks on Soundcloud.

The Great Wilderness will appear at SXSW in Austin TX, March 2014.

BONUS VIDEO: Versión acústica de “Blinders” con los perros y gatitos lindos.

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