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Critic Reviews
90
On his debut release, Will Wiesenfeld hadn't fully found himself, but on Obsidian, the L.A. musician delivers a much more cohesive vision.
12y
90
Obsidian could have easily been too indulgent or morose, but instead it's soul-baring in ways that feel fresh.
13y
90
By blending the conceptual drive of Post-Foetus and the organic songwriting of Baths, Wiesenfeld has delivered on the promise of Cerulean and found his place among contemporaneous pop experimenters like Grimes and Autre Ne Veut.
13y
86
While Obsidian maintains some aspects of Cerulean, namely, its lap-pop intimacy and Wiesenfeld's unsteady, quavering vocals, the shock is in hearing him make a complete heel turn, fearlessly operating like someone absolved of personal repercussion or culpability
13y
85
Obsidian is the exactly the type of record a Baths fan should be excited for: something simultaneously original, brave, and exciting to listen to over and over again.
13y
83
Ultimately, your mood as a listener – and perhaps the weather – will dictate how often you’ll return to Obsidian‘s bleak and beautiful world.
13y
80
The sense of sardonic, self-deprecating whimsy is what ultimately allows Obsidian to triumph, forming a kind of triangle with the album's two other mainstays: lachrymose piano/string combinations and morphing, spiny undercurrents of electronic percussion.
11y
80
Complex, challenging and incredibly rewarding.
12y
80
There’s a leisurely swagger about Obsidian, leading to a massive change in feel for Baths. There are no bells and whistles this time around, just barren landscapes and lyrics, lyrics, lyrics.
13y
80
Despite the density of the music, ‘Obsidian’ is a wholly immersive experience, setting Baths back on course.
11y
80
Beyond the deep palette of sounds and Wiesenfeld’s instantly gratifying falsetto, Baths should be singled out as a young talent worth watching.
3y
70
The fatalistic and darkening Gothic moods bring out some of the shiniest elements of his prodigious talent and imagination.
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3y
70
There’s no denying the technical ability and songcraft is there, and unpicking the layers is the most enjoyable part of listening, but it’s emotional tugging ultimately strikes as hollow, not through insincerity but in being too obfuscated or overbearing for me to really love these songs.
13y
70
Baths’ second album is dark and distressing but ultimately compelling. It’s clear that this is the work of a fascinatingly subversive mind.
12y
70
Obsidian is a brave and necessary record that builds on Baths’ glitchy poignance.
13y
70
Obsidian is the dark record it was billed as because it starts to ask its own uncomfortable questions. Love becomes more illusory when it stops getting quoted.
13y
70
For all the dark, depthless beauty of Wiesenfeld’s immaculately constructed record, its solidity feels too opaque.
13y
60
On Baths' latest full-length, Will Wiesenfeld flexes his singer-songwriter muscles over a group of beats that have a much poppier feel.
8y
60
An album with independent parts that are quite inspired on their own but only form a seemingly infinitely confused whole.
13y
60
[Wiesenfeld has an] uncommon ear for texture and rhythm, albeit one compromised by a weakness for self-consciously introspective lyrics and highfalutin sixth form poetry.
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3y
40
It is not out of disappointment with this darker direction that I am dissatisfied with Obsidian, but its misguided execution.
13y
Incredible.
Tbh this was an album i wanted to check out since a while i discovered in the favs of one person i follow and i first liked the cover and then saw the genres and that was the moment where i was interrested, and to be honest i don´t regret it. This thing is super dark and atmospheric but at the same time it´s not really depressivly dark and more hopefully dark what sounds weird but just listen to it and you´ll probably understand what i mean. And not only the whole ... read more
Baths - Obsidian - 2013
The Postal Service pioneered this type of sad Indietronica and Singer-songwriter fusions about a decade before this album dropped, so I can't really say it's the most original thing I've ever heard, but it's fairly well done for what it's going for. I also caught a few notes of Animal Collective worship coming through the strange vocals and abstract imagery present in the lyrics. Thumbs up for solid points of inspiration, I guess.
The vibe of ... read more
Words cannot describe the emotions and sensations that Baths' Obsidian brings to the table.
Obsidian is a terrifically dark album, which doesn't surprise me considering the circumstances of this album's background. It paints a dreadful and depressing picture of a very bleak world, but at the same time there's always this tone of hope in Wiesenfeld's lyrics. It's like he's hanging by an extremely short thread, but he never wants to fall down. That same tone sort of makes it possible for the ... read more
Enjoyable but some of the lyrics on here are insane man. My favorite is either “Nurse this erection back to full health” or “Lodged in the rectal walls of agony”
Best track: Miasma Sky
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Track List
| 1 | Worsening 4:26 | 88 |
| 2 | Miasma Sky 4:34 | 93 |
| 3 | Ironworks 4:40 | 90 |
| 4 | Ossuary 3:52 | 86 |
| 5 | Incompatible 4:40 | 82 |
| 6 | No Eyes 4:14 | 80 |
| 7 | Phaedra 4:52 | 83 |
| 8 | No Past Lives 3:40 | 84 |
| 9 | Earth Death 4:34 | 91 |
| 10 | Inter 3:50 | 81 |
Total Length: 43 minutes
By Quet
