For those who have not heard of William Elliott Whitmore, I cannot speak higher of an artist performing today. He produced my favorite record of 2009 with "Animals In The Dark" and my favorite record of the 2000s, 2006's magnificent "Song Of The Blackbird". Also in 2006, the Lee County, Iowa native teamed up with the (Portland by way of San Francisco by way of Michigan by way of) Texas born Jenny Hoyston for an EP entitled "Hallways Of Always". Critics initially threw out comparisons of Johnny Cash and June Carter, however the album was way to contemporary and produced with electronic beats. The only way this comparison holds any clout is that the record is a folk-like recording compiled by a man and a woman (comparisons should stop there). Not that this is a bad thing as the two sound great together and have a wonderful contrast yet compliment each other beautifully. With the exception of the track 'Black Iowa Dirt', the remainder of the album is much different than Whitmore's solo outings however still has a rustic vibe.
At some point, Whitmore and Hoyston wanted to release the album on vinyl, however, due to record label policies, this was not going to happen. To get around this contract/agreement, the duo re-recorded the album, adopted the original album name as their moniker, added a couple new tracks and released it under a new label. The result is more than a reissue as the vocals are different and the synthesizers have been replaced with acoustic instrumentation. The result does not disappoint. The original track listing was also changed (see below for the vinyl track listing).
A1 Feast Of A Thousand Beasts
A2 Marrow
A3 Black Iowa Dirt
A4 Heavy Load
B1 We Miss You
B2 Out Of My Mind
B3 You've Already Gone
B4 H.O.A. (Beasts Reprise)
New tracks not on the original EP include "Heavy Load" (Whitmore) and "Out Of My Mind" (Hoyston)
Only 500 copies were pressed and the LP comes with an MP3 download. The new album can be purchased on Will Whitmore's website.
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