An Inbuilt Fault

by Westerman

Overview

After releasing a well-received, long-brewing debut album, Your Hero Is Not Dead, in 2020, U.K. songwriter Will Westerman met with a period that included the onset of a worldwide pandemic, a relocation from his native London to Athens, Greece, and an admitted disenchantment with making music. When he did eventually return to writing songs, they were directly inspired by two years of isolation, heartache, and dread; the title of the resulting album, An Inbuilt Fault, refers to human flaws and frailty. Recorded in the Los Angeles area with intricate Big Thief drummer James Krivchenia as co-producer and at later sessions in London, it returns to a musical demeanor that's both meditative and understated, intense and trippy. The album's varied cast of players include Krivchenia, Luke Temple (Art Feynman, Here We Go Magic), and Mat Davidson (Twain, the Low Anthem), all on multiple instruments. Opener "Give" sets the stage, underscoring clear and restrained, sometimes-double-tracked vocals with a spacious arrangement of stringed-instrument drone, irregular, loping drums, and interjections of electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, ensemble strings, and what sounds like shattering glass, while lyrics dwell on thoughts such as "It's not easy to give/I'm sorry I couldn't hold the bridge." Although not immediately apparent in its lyrics, the musically like-minded second track, "Idol; RE-run," was written in response to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Later, "CSI: Petralona" addresses complex early impressions of Athens. Songs including the lengthier "A Lens Turning" show more conspicuous signs of discomfort and urgency, with Westerman laying down a more impassioned vocal delivery ("I don't know who I am anymore") reflected in a pressing tempo, drums reinforced by layers of handclaps, hand drums, and various other percussion, and adding spacey, post-punk-colored synths as part of the album's continued intermittent instrument cues. The overall effect is technical -- even proggy -- as well as longing and unsettling, all at once. All told, An Inbuilt Fault's subtlety will reward patient listeners, as repeat listens reveal more of its emotions and sonic detail. ~ Marcy Donelson

Product Details

Release Date:	05/05/2023
Label:	Partisan
UPC:	5400863092009
Rank:	95880

Tracks

1. Give
2. Idol; RE-run
3. I, Catallus.
4. CSI: Petralona
5. Help Didn't Help at All
6. A Lens Turning
7. Take
8. An Inbuilt Fault
9. Pilot Was a Dancer

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Westerman   Primary Artist
Luke Temple   Bass,Piano,Synthesizer,Guitar (Electric)
Robin Eubanks   Trombone
Ben Reed   Bass
Erin Birgy   Bass,Vocals,Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Mat Davidson   Bass,Piano,Violin,Vocals,Pedal Steel,Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic)
Booker Stardrum   Percussion
James Krivchenia   Beat Box,Percussion,Synthesizer
Mikel Patrick Avery   Percussion
Gibi Dos Santos   Percussion
William Westerman   Vocals
Joe McGrail   Piano

Technical Credits

Phil Weinrobe   Engineer
Erin Birgy   Drum Programming
Fabian Prynn   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
James Krivchenia   Engineer,Producer,Drum Programming
Marta Salogni   Mixing,Engineer,Programming
Phil Hartunian   Assistant Engineer
William Westerman   Composer,Engineer,Producer