Weapons Reference Manual is the third album by American ambient craftsman Wes Willenbring. As a further progression from his acclaimed debut Somewhere Someone Else and his stunning sophomore album Close, But Not Too Close, Weapons Reference Manual features a varied and richly hued palette of visceral guitar tones, effects-warped textures and achingly beautiful piano work. Immersive and darkly emotive soundscapes, such as droning opener ‘Dreams and Schemes’ and the 15-minute epic ‘Quaaludes’, are counterbalanced by seductively melodic pieces, such as ‘People Disappear Everyday’ and closing track ‘Ashes’. Meanwhile, single ‘Consequences of Recklessness’ is Weapons Reference Manual’s shimmering centrepiece, setting icicles of delayed guitar amid an aching tapestry of drones and feedback. It sets the tone for the album as a whole, perhaps Willenbring’s most complex and satisfying release to date.

His three albums for Hidden Shoal Recordings, Somewhere Someone Else (March 2007), Close, But Not Too Close (October 2009) and Weapons Reference Manual (April 2012) are works of muted radiance. Sounds of piano and guitar wash in and out of recognition, providing a kind of dislocated comfort. The albums slowly breathe in and out with an undeniable melancholic warmth, like a sad dream you don’t want to wake from.

“Absolutely gorgeous. Dreamy dark meandering melancholia for fans of Stars Of The Lid, Eluvium, Dead Texan, Tim Hecker, Godspeed and other purveyors of darkly dramatic, abstract moody minimalism” – Aquarius Records on 'Somewhere Someone Else'