Minute Taker Advances His Cinematic Sound on Imaginative ‘Wolf Hours’ | Album Review

Minute Taker
Wolf Hours
Octagonal
Buy via Official Store + Bandcamp | Listen Below 

Benjamin McGarvey was a distinct presence from the moment he debuted with Too Busy Framing (2008). The album, an eclectic sundry of electronic driven pieces anchored to equally intense song scripts, established him as a promising new voice in the British indie scene. A gap of five years came and went between that effort and Last Things (2013)—another ambitious raft of textured, digital pop tunes. Just prior to the reveal of his sophomore set, McGarvey put forward the Postlude EP in 2012. That extended play signposted the maturation to hatch on Last Things, additionally, it introduced the public to his freshly minted performance persona: Minute Taker.

Post-Last Things saw even further creative acceleration for the singer, songwriter and instrumentalist: stage musical composing, touring, an audio-visual show, a mini record (2017’s Reconstruction), and a cache of unearthed pieces released from 2018 through to 2021 (Secret Songs). 

For all that activity, a full-length third album would not manifest—until Wolf Hours. Described by the Shropshire reared, now Manchester headquartered artist as “the sonic equivalent of going through a box of old stuff you find in the loft; full of the comfort and mystique of childhood nostalgia, but a bit warped and degraded over time,” the Octagonal Records hosted project is nothing short of a triumph. Minute Taker continues in his preferred mediums of synth-pop, folktronica and a host of electronic esoterica, rendering them in a style that functions in the present while managing to reference a specific pocket of pop and cinema history spanning from 1982 to 1987.

This link between music and motion pictures as a source for inspiration isn’t a novel approach; in just the last decade, countless acts from varying genres have plumbed the 1980s in search of sounds or themes. And this is to say nothing of the “revivals” for that decade that have emerged in years past.

However, Minute Taker isn’t an old school chaser trying to curry stale nostalgia for the sake of it. Everything found on Wolf Hours—written and produced by Minute Taker—comes from his own imagination, which he uses to carefully channel his influences through.

Wolf Hours opens strong with the filmic grandeur of “Lead You Home,” the windswept qualities housed in its arrangement put across Minute Taker’s keen understanding of “movie music.” Throughout the dimensional, lavish soundscapes held on the long player, traces of composer-scorers like Elmer Bernstein (Ghostbusters), Trevor Jones (Labyrinth), James Horner (Batteries Included), Keith Forsey (The Breakfast Club), Klaus Doldinger and Giorgio Moroder (The Neverending Story) are readily apparent. 

But paired to those immense soundtrack elements are brisk melodic passages (“500 Breakups”) and radio-friendly hooks (“Hearts (We’ll Never Know)”) recalling Minute Taker’s other musical heroes: a-ha, Kajagoogoo, Philip Oakey (of Human League repute), and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Warming these electronically charged arrangements is the man himself, Minute Taker’s voice lends human resonance to the ambience of Wolf Hours overall. Two cuts in particular—“Not Afraid” and “Harm”—capture the sensuality and sensitivity running abundant in his tone; with that vocal method, Minute Taker wills his gripping fairy tales to vivid life. 

The thematic center of the album was unveiled by Minute Taker in its press materials: “The ‘wolf hours’ occur late at night when our repressed thoughts and memories inform our dreams,” an abstract angle to take. Minute Taker pulls it off swimmingly by linking conventional pop song structure to immersive storytelling technique, as “The Darkest Summer” and “Wild Things” attest. 

Although Wolf Hours is largely a one-man show, Minute Taker invites two guests along on his fantastical voyage respectively via “Mirror” and “After the Rain” with composer-singer Megan McDufee and fellow indie-pop brother-in-arms Bright Light Bright Light. On each cut, Minute Taker makes collaborative room for his visitant, but they never obstruct him—the mark of a successful pairing.

At eleven tracks deep—thirteen with two well-placed interludes—Wolf Hours is a taut, but substantive listen sure to satisfy discerning pop genre audiences. But for Minute Taker himself, this enthralling collection represents his art at its best. One can be sure there will be more to come from him in the near future.

Notable Tracks: “Harm” | “Hearts (We’ll Never Know)” | “Lead You Home” | “Not Afraid”

BUY Wolf Hours via Minute Taker’s Official Store + Bandcamp

Note: As an Amazon affiliate partner, Albumism may earn commissions from products purchased via links featured on our site.

LISTEN via Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube: