Aleister LP

Description

Lyrically, Aleister is quietly fearless, exploring themes of grief, obsessive compulsive disorder, infertility and recovery, with remarkable sensitivity. Lead single 'The Morrigan’ makes for a striking introduction to the new chapter. With its lyrical roots in Celtic folklore, the song bristles with dark energy, Wooff’s stirring voice joined by sharp, strange sounds that bend and break in the surrounding shadows. “The inspiration from this song came from the theory that for centuries voices heard in the woods, which people would believe to be ghosts, deities, Gods could actually all be down to crows repeating human voices,” Wooff explains. Whilst Wooff holds up the sonic mirror to British folk horror, accompanying ‘The Morrigan’ is a full length music video (directed by Manchester-based Light In The Tower) which extends the song’s peculiar folkloric world into an equally enigmatic visual language. Abstract imagery sits alongside subtle nods to the Morrigan legend, with the film taking inspiration from the strange, unsettling atmosphere and analogue sensibilities of the 1970s folk horror landscape. The result feels intrinsically connected to the song itself: old folklore filtered through an ambiguous lens, where the distinction between something natural and something supernatural is never entirely clear. It is characteristic of the world Wooff creates across Aleister, where folk tradition collides with gothic literature, northern landscapes brush against the occult, and deeply personal experiences sit alongside ancient mythology. Before entering the studio, Wooff and producer James Wyatt disappeared into a tiny Welsh cottage called Popty (which also adorns the cover), carrying little more than a guitar and a handful of microphones. Snow, silence, and stone walls became collaborators of-sorts, and it was in that flush of seasonal isolations that the record's emotional temperature revealed itself—not through dramatic reinvention, but through subtle shifts in texture, restraint and space. By introducing tape saturation, drones, vintage keyboards, orchestral flourishes and richly textured acoustic instrumentation, the new album’s production embraces and accentuates atmosphere. Pulling vivid inspiration from British and Irish folk recordings of the late sixties and seventies, without ever leaning into nostalgia. Wooff has developed a voice that feels wholly individual: rooted in traditional folk music, coloured by classic rock, and drawn irresistibly towards something dark and mysterious. A proud Boltonian who grew up on the edge of the West Pennine Moors, Wooff continues to draw inspiration from the places of her home. That surrounding landscape permeates Aleister, winding its way through the songs, providing windswept imagery. Alongside her songwriting, Wooff is also a surrealist painter and the shared themes between her writing and painting overlap throughout the album; peculiar shapes and colours are conjured and burst into life. ‘A Tremendous debut. Skilfully blending folk, country and other styles, Woof’s eponymous debut album features thoughtful songwriting, adroit musicianship and her remarkable, crystalline vocals’ - 4/5 RECORD COLLECTOR ‘Enchanting. Whether playing almost solo or with a full band arrangement, Wooff is never less than mesmerising’ - 4/5 SHINDIG! ‘Her spectral voice and acoustic guitar lead abstract stories of loss, yearning and self-exploration, nimbly embellished with pedal steel, organ and strings. ‘The Waltz Of Winter Hey’ and ‘Lefty’s Motel Room’, with its allusive nod to Townes Van Zandt, are outstanding’ - 8/10 UNCUT ‘Launching herself fully onto the scene, she beguiles with tales of love, loss, hope and womanhood, wrapped up in a beautifully strange gothic romanticism’ - FOR FOLK’S SAKE ‘The beauty in the record is not merely based on Toria’s melancholic melodicism and rich delivery. It can be enjoyed in the juxtaposition between the singer’s darker, more eerily gothic instincts and the soothing, reassuring presence of instruments like pedal steel and cellos.’ - KLOF [e] 5. Black Shuck [Interlude]