The work of Patrick Walker
operating under his 40 Watt Sun moniker is characterised by minimalism:
this is largely acoustic, sparsely arranged and down-tempo mood folk. It
probably makes the most sense in the context of Walker’s previous life as a
member of now defunct doom metallers Warning. 40 Watt Sun’s sound
draws on the same structures as doom/sludge metal – this is folk through the
metal lens (or vice versa?), mostly made on acoustic guitar and piano. Perfect
Light is album #2 for 40 Watt Sun, and it’s even more stripped down
than its predecessor. Walker has honed his new formula, and he injects these
musically sparse (but long) tracks with raw emotion – which really is the
point. That fact means you do have to be in the mood, because this record is often
quite miserable. Take the first line of post-rock influenced ‘The Spaces in
Between’: ‘The hardest single time that we fell upon / Overcame us like a god’.
The emotion feels genuine, though, and the minimalist sound provides a perfect
backdrop to the weighty sadness of the lyrics and vocal style. I have listened to
this a huge amount since it came out way back in January – like Tape Toy, demonstrating impressive staying power – but in Perfect Light’s case only
in patches, because it brings with it some darkness.