A sky for shoeing horses under
I quite like the cover of this record. Its a nice piece of photography, yes, but like a really good record cover should it speaks to what the listener has to look forward to once that plastic cling wrap is removed.
With If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone Ontario’s the Wooden Sky have crafted an intensely, at times achingly, personal record with a stark confessional tone that makes it seem like you’re looking in on Gavin Gardner’s dirty laundry as it spins inside the washing machine of his brain. Every failed relationship, every shameful wish for harm to befall an ex, every wilting plea for reconciliation, its all in these songs.
The band identifies as folk-rock but they have worked hard to tone down the rock and connect more heavily with their roots (double meaning!) since their first record. Throughout the album there are subtle guitar arrangements, gentle percussion, sprightly piano, even a whirly-wind. Texture comes from violins, organ, even clarinet at one point. The pace has been scaled way back from the group’s first album (re-released last year), many of the songs slinking by in a subdued manner, punctuated by barely-perceptible percussion and Gardner’s emotive vocals.
The rock edge pops up once in a while on tracks like, “When We Were Young,” countered by the frail and lovely “Oslo,” with its fragile lady-singing harmony and echoey steel guitar. “Angels” boasts a slick, fluid tempo change that really stands out against Gardner’s shouted vocals (singing that would fit right alongside current tourmates Elliott Brood). The easy, lilting vocal melodies are the thread that runs the full length of the album, elevating first single “Something Hiding For Us In The Night” above its meandering tempo and creating a dynamic sing-along song in “the Late King Henry.”
The arrangements on the album are incredibly engaging and far from uniform. The seeming undercurrent of melancholy never gets mired in hopelessness and the band sequences the album well, providing a couple of energetic, rockier breaks to counteract the more dour low points. Its a move that demonstrates their growth and maturity as songwriters and recording artists. It’s also the hallmark of someone that is actually considering the album as a wholly unified piece of work, something I quite appreciate.
The Wooden Sky is in the midst of a cross-Canada tour with self-professed “death country” superheroes Elliott Brood, which is bringing them to Regina on Thursday. Based on the strength of this album I wouldn’t be surprised to see them winning over a LOT of fans when they hit the stage. This is an extremely strong record that nestles right into the current slate of vaguely rootsy artists in our country like Cuff The Duke, Elliott Brood, et al. Turns out the self-reflection evinced by the cover photo is a good fit for the Wooden Sky.
the Wooden Sky - My Old Ghosts [3:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download the Wooden Sky - Call If You Need Me [2:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadThe Wooden Sky’s webstore is apparently closed. But opening soon. I guess you could go to a record store and find the album, but isn’t it easier just to hop over to iTunes, you lazy so-and-so?
Canadian tour dates are:
10/01/2009 - Regina, SK @ The Exchange
10/02/2009 - Saskatoon, SK @ Amigos
10/03/2009 - Edmonton, AB @ Starlite
10/04/2009 - Calgary, AB @ Dickens
10/05/2009 - Lethbridge, AB @ Henotic
10/06/2009 - Nelson, BC @ Spirit Bar
10/07/2009 - Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore
10/08/2009 - Victoria, BC @ Sugar
ALSO:
While these guys are playing the Exchange tomorrow night, don’t forget that blog favourites Final Fantasy and Timber Timbre will be very gently rocking the same stage tonight, Wednesday evening. I got free tickets from the good folks at the Prairie Dog, but you should come out and fork over some cash too.
