Sound Salvation Army

Ah, the stop-gap EP. Such a convenient way for a band to capitalize on some momentum, to strike while the iron is hot and keep material flowing to an expanding audience.

This is one of those.

You’ll recall I named the Wheat Pool’s Hauntario my favourite album of 2009, and for good reason. It’s a prairie rock/alt-country masterpiece that is fraught with tension and emotion, an impeccably-performed set of intricately-arranged songs that resonate on every wavelength. It’s just so good, you guys.

Some of that magic crosses over to this EP, thanks to the fact that most of these tracks were recorded during the album sessions. In fact, one of the highlights is an alternate version of Hauntario standout “Evangeline” that strips away all of the tension and bombastic instrumentation save a slowly-plucked acoustic guitar and the Angus brothers’ harmonies. It wisely runs little more than half the length of the LP version, serving as a minimal yet ghostly bit of storytelling.

Alternate versions are apparently something the Wheat Pool toyed with at length while recording the LP. You’ll recall the rollicking “Too Far Apart” was reprised as the much quieter, more contemplative, more mournful “Two Far Apart” to end Hauntario. While that was absolutely the right call they apparently dropped the track “Edith Cavell” to do it. Its jaunty acoustic strumming and far-off slide guitar recall the LP’s high-water mark, “Italy,” but leaving it off the album proper was probably the right decision; it’s brevity and preciousness likely would have contrasted with the rest of the record.

The linchpin for the release is a cover of Neil Young’s “Helpless.” Young is obviously the band’s chief influence and the track has been a popular live staple for the group, according to the EP’s one-sheet anyway. I suppose I see the logic to that, as they do a pretty terrific job with it, keeping it fairly close to Young’s original version with just the right mix of rock guitar leads, keyboard, and slide guitar. The brothers’ distinctive harmonies also help make it distinct. While the track may have been the impetus for the EP’s entire creation, including two different mixes seems superfluous and unnecessary; maybe I’m just too Canadian, but it seems like we’ve all heard this song enough already. I don’t think it will have the same kind of appeal over time as the other numbers.

Again, this is a stop-gap release; it’s only a couple of original songs, they’re all leftovers, and as such they only possess a microcosm of the magic that made Hauntario so perfect. Regardless, I’ve only had these songs for a day and a half and I am so grateful for it. If you haven’t been exposed to this band yet, $3.99 is a very small price to pay for your first taste of one of Canada’s great young bands.

 

 Wheat Pool - Helpless (Hauntario mix): Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This bitch is digital-only, friends:
iTunes: here.
eMusic: here.
Get Hauntario and the debut album Township here.

Pat entries Canadian content, covers, EP, Hauntario, rock, Wheat Pool

Not to worry, true blue rockers — this album isn’t nearly as pastoral as the band’s name might suggest. It does, however, live up to the first part of the made-up compound word that serves as its title: it will haunt you.

The Wheat Pool have released what is sure to be one of the finest albums that will see the light of day this year, possibly the best Canadian release you’ll hear in 2009. It’s a collection of fairly dark songs of separation, desperation, isolation, and loneliness made easier to stomach due to the band’s complete mastery of melody and harmony.

As I mentioned previously, for me the album hinges on the earth-shattering “Right Arm,” a capital-G Great song that is every bit as beautiful as the story it tells is not. The band sheds its previous alt-country dependency in favour of more dynamic rock elements, transitioning from a lonely acoustic guitar at its opening to a crest of power chords and wailing vocal harmonies. This song gets heavy as fuck, the emotional tenor and lyrical content illustrating a genuinely heartbreaking tale of how drugs can tear two people apart in ugly ways. It might be the result of my own recent failed relationship and my current emotional fragility, but this song is the saddest thing in the world to me right now. I’ve listened to it at least 100 times in the last month. Its uplifting to see a band that doesn’t shy away from honesty and genuine emotion, even when it isn’t pretty and won’t get you spins on the radio.

Another highlight is the patient, sparse “Evangeline,” a tale of death and longing that highlights the Wheat Pool’s knack for simile and evocative storytelling. Robb Angus (I think; two brothers share singing and songwriting duties) outlines a cathartic juxtaposition as he remembers the passion and desire he felt for the title character while watching her life slip away. Angus scores one of the album’s best lines here, likening the sight of her death to snow falling on a tract of evergreen trees. It paints a serene, sophisticated picture that one doesn’t often see in modern music.

There are some more agrarian moments throughout Hauntario’s running time that call back to the more typical alt-country of the groups debut, namely the steel guitar that slides through a majority of the songs. “One of These Nights” could be a classic mope-country “she’s leaving” tune, its refrain (”They don’t know what we’re going through/we got a lot of cryin’ to do”) a sentiment as old as the Tennessee Three. “I’m Not Here” is a straight-up modern farming tale, talking about how difficult life has become for prairie dwellers with the disappearance of hundreds of the band’s namesake’s grain elevators from the countryside, ever-dwindling rail service, and the urban exodus. Their vision of the Canadian prairie is decidedly bleak, with nothing but empty parking lots and buckling church buildings dotting the landscape. “Nervous Bird” and “Italy” fall somewhere between country and emotive indie, the former showcasing the band’s ability to turn anything into a sad song, even what should be an upbeat tale of love (with handclaps even! Handclap songs are always happy songs!). Both boast unimpeachable melodies that will stay with you long after the track ends.

Its always difficult to enunciate exactly what makes a great album truly special. These songs have an irresistible duality, being simultaneously melancholy and almost unbelievably pretty and melodic. The lyrics are some of the most evocative I’ve heard in recent years, each song standing on its own as a complete and engaging narrative. The Angus brothers trade off on lead vocals and harmonies but their collective voice is unified in its intent and its power.

The final track says it all, really. It’s a loping track with gorgeous piano and violin flourishes, possibly the most heartbreaking musical number here. But lyrically it contains the album’s sole hint that things might just be okay, with an Angus pleading, “Promise me we’ll never be too (or more likely “two” as the song’s title suggests) far apart.” On an album this solid it would be almost impossible to go out on a bad note, but that glimmer of optimism definitely makes it the right one to close with. Its like being handed an ice cream cone as soon as you step off an (emotional) roller coaster.

Verbose over-analysis aside, this is just one of those albums that reaffirms why I listen to music. Don’t miss out.

 

 the Wheat Pool - This Is It [4:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Wheat Pool - Right Arm [4:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 the Wheat Pool - Evangeline [4:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Buy Hauntario and the debut album Township from Shameless Records website. iTunes is also on that.

Pat entries alt country, Canadian content, Hauntario, rock, the Wheat Pool