Album Notes

"The vast range of human emotion is enormous and magnificent in its scope. Woolgather have managed to construct a record that captures nearly every aspect of feeling with an unwavering haunting splendor. On their full length debut album “Programmes: Vol. I - The Pleasure Principle,” the Austin, TX quartet has managed to create a stunning blend of dark beauty, artistic exploration, and explosively vulnerable passion. Delicate piano accompanies ghostly guitars, cleverly shifting rhythms, post-rock ambient drifts, and an outstanding vocal performance. Progressive song structures, deeply hypnotic melodies, and strong emotive vocals combine together for the one of the purest “art rock” debuts since Dredg, Shun, Downside, and Wintersleep first dazzled audiences. Delicate acoustics and pianos collide with distorted waves and a lumbering heavy emotional depth that’s as striking as it is menacing. The album contains an expertly crafted contrast between vivid and bleak, with an overall sound that proves focused and mature. If this masterpiece of an album wasn’t enough, it is only the first half of the full picture “Programmes (I & II) - Fons et Origo,” an epic concept album based on Sigmund Freud's work, "Civilization and It's Discontents". The second disc, “Programmes: Vol. II – The Reality Principle” will be released this winter, containing a more experimental and heavier instrumental focus.

Woolgather have an extraordinarily bright future ahead of them. Their sound is unusually developed for a debut record, and should gain a rabid underground following. “Programmes: Vol. I – The Pleasure Principle” is an album that will expand in your mind with repeat listens, and only gets better with greater familiarity. Simply put, Woolgather are a band that truly must be heard to understand. Shadowy and emotional, the next decade of progressive/art rock may very well be a promising experience, with Woolgather triumphantly leading the way. " -Dan Goldin, ExplodingInSound.com