| February 2007 - Issue 10 |
eleventh.transmission
arts, culture, media, activism
All work copyright
the respective
owner. Nothing
may be reproduced
without consent.
the respective
owner. Nothing
may be reproduced
without consent.
MUSIC REVIEWS
Songbook
Woodpigeon
by Derek Gour
Most people are polarized when it comes to the local music scene. The groupies religiously follow their pet bands to
each seedy bar, swearing they'd donate a kidney for the lead singer, and hoping for the day they can say, "Yeah, well, I
knew them when..." Then there are those who believe that, statistically speaking, none of the local groups doing the
circuit will ever amount to more than fodder for college radio. Calgary's Woodpigeon has the groupies, the most
eclectic people the city has to offer, and they also possess the raw talent to propel them to the international stage.
Songbook is the first album by Woodpigeon, released on Rectangle Records, and it is a melodic, folksy and
incredibly consistent debut. The Woodpigeon sound lands them somewhere on the Alternative spectrum between
Kings of Convenience and Elliott Smith, though any comparison is really doing a disservice to this Calgary group that
boasts accordions, violins, saxophones, flutes, and horns, in addition to the more standard guitars, drums, and
piano. And let's not forget Mark Hamilton's voice and deceptively gentle lyrics, which swing between outright silly, yet
endearing such as "I went to Ninja school / to learn how to murder you with just one little punch." to lyrics that are only
slightly more serious: "Still can't quite figure how you had a hold on me / here's two-hundred dollars / if you go now,
it's interest free."
Woodpigeon is the quintessentially Canadian institution. They are pretentious, yet self-deprecating, and thoroughly
under-appreciated. The selection of standout tracks from Songbook is sure to be a contentious issue, but I'll stick my
neck out. "Home As a Romanticized Concept Where Everyone Loves You Always and Forever" - note the above-
mentioned pretentiousness - is an apt opening track, getting the album off to a great start. Capping the album is
another prize: "Death By Ninja (A Love Song)". Other highlights are "Take The Hint Kid", "Feedbags", and "That Was
Good But You Can Do Better".
One warning. If you go out to purchase this album, which you definitely should, beware that the track listings may be
mixed up. I bought the album from the iTunes Music Store, and had to pour over the track notes on the Woodpigeon
web site to decipher which titles actually belonged to which tracks. Not that it really matters, since this is one of few
albums you can listen to from beginning to end without wincing even once.
Wincing the Night Away
The Shins
by Marta Nelson
We can only speculate if The Shins will always carry the stigma of entering the mainstream through the enthusiastic
commentary featured in vehicles such as “Garden State” or “The O.C.” - but does it really matter? Even if people sat
up and took notice because they were praised on Fox News (I highly doubt it), the music carries the weight of sniping
critics and easily shrugs it off. Roll your eyes if you must, but The Shins make better music than most of the detritus
you’re forced to wade through at your local HMV.
Wincing the Night Away, the highly anticipated follow up to 2003’s Chutes Too Narrow is a difficult album to peg. Not
as introspective as their debut, Oh, Inverted World! or as raucous as“Chutes Too Narrow, WTNA feels and sounds
like mishmash of its predecessors, and in this case, it’s a good thing. Quirky, bouncy tracks like “Australia” include
banjos and the hint of a slide guitar, but these are balanced out with self deprecating lyrics (“some uber man I’d
make\I’m barely a vapor” from “A Comet Appears”) and echoing, hard-edged guitars. Lead singer James Mercer can
still send his voice soaring further than you’d imagine, and it’s a pleasure for the ears. Often compared to the Beach
Boys in sound and style, I can’t imagine a more flattering comparison for The Shins. Give “Pet Sounds” a spin and
you’ll understand the similarities between the experimental arrangements, bang-on harmonies and a man not afraid
to use his upper register.
The “album” as a concept is in danger, as you may be aware, and this is a perfect example of the absolute delight in
listening to a record that flows with continual energy, certainly a rarity. While WTNA may not be the most crowd
pleasing, understood album on first turn, do yourself a favor and listen with headphones while doing something
mindless (knitting, taking a walk or watching the neighbors fight on the front lawn) and let it percolate in your brain.
The verdict? Zach Braff is going to have to work harder to find obscure indie pop/rock for his soundtracks – The Shins
are only getting better and better, and this hopefully results in a higher profile.
Songbook
Woodpigeon
by Derek Gour
Most people are polarized when it comes to the local music scene. The groupies religiously follow their pet bands to
each seedy bar, swearing they'd donate a kidney for the lead singer, and hoping for the day they can say, "Yeah, well, I
knew them when..." Then there are those who believe that, statistically speaking, none of the local groups doing the
circuit will ever amount to more than fodder for college radio. Calgary's Woodpigeon has the groupies, the most
eclectic people the city has to offer, and they also possess the raw talent to propel them to the international stage.
Songbook is the first album by Woodpigeon, released on Rectangle Records, and it is a melodic, folksy and
incredibly consistent debut. The Woodpigeon sound lands them somewhere on the Alternative spectrum between
Kings of Convenience and Elliott Smith, though any comparison is really doing a disservice to this Calgary group that
boasts accordions, violins, saxophones, flutes, and horns, in addition to the more standard guitars, drums, and
piano. And let's not forget Mark Hamilton's voice and deceptively gentle lyrics, which swing between outright silly, yet
endearing such as "I went to Ninja school / to learn how to murder you with just one little punch." to lyrics that are only
slightly more serious: "Still can't quite figure how you had a hold on me / here's two-hundred dollars / if you go now,
it's interest free."
Woodpigeon is the quintessentially Canadian institution. They are pretentious, yet self-deprecating, and thoroughly
under-appreciated. The selection of standout tracks from Songbook is sure to be a contentious issue, but I'll stick my
neck out. "Home As a Romanticized Concept Where Everyone Loves You Always and Forever" - note the above-
mentioned pretentiousness - is an apt opening track, getting the album off to a great start. Capping the album is
another prize: "Death By Ninja (A Love Song)". Other highlights are "Take The Hint Kid", "Feedbags", and "That Was
Good But You Can Do Better".
One warning. If you go out to purchase this album, which you definitely should, beware that the track listings may be
mixed up. I bought the album from the iTunes Music Store, and had to pour over the track notes on the Woodpigeon
web site to decipher which titles actually belonged to which tracks. Not that it really matters, since this is one of few
albums you can listen to from beginning to end without wincing even once.
Wincing the Night Away
The Shins
by Marta Nelson
We can only speculate if The Shins will always carry the stigma of entering the mainstream through the enthusiastic
commentary featured in vehicles such as “Garden State” or “The O.C.” - but does it really matter? Even if people sat
up and took notice because they were praised on Fox News (I highly doubt it), the music carries the weight of sniping
critics and easily shrugs it off. Roll your eyes if you must, but The Shins make better music than most of the detritus
you’re forced to wade through at your local HMV.
Wincing the Night Away, the highly anticipated follow up to 2003’s Chutes Too Narrow is a difficult album to peg. Not
as introspective as their debut, Oh, Inverted World! or as raucous as“Chutes Too Narrow, WTNA feels and sounds
like mishmash of its predecessors, and in this case, it’s a good thing. Quirky, bouncy tracks like “Australia” include
banjos and the hint of a slide guitar, but these are balanced out with self deprecating lyrics (“some uber man I’d
make\I’m barely a vapor” from “A Comet Appears”) and echoing, hard-edged guitars. Lead singer James Mercer can
still send his voice soaring further than you’d imagine, and it’s a pleasure for the ears. Often compared to the Beach
Boys in sound and style, I can’t imagine a more flattering comparison for The Shins. Give “Pet Sounds” a spin and
you’ll understand the similarities between the experimental arrangements, bang-on harmonies and a man not afraid
to use his upper register.
The “album” as a concept is in danger, as you may be aware, and this is a perfect example of the absolute delight in
listening to a record that flows with continual energy, certainly a rarity. While WTNA may not be the most crowd
pleasing, understood album on first turn, do yourself a favor and listen with headphones while doing something
mindless (knitting, taking a walk or watching the neighbors fight on the front lawn) and let it percolate in your brain.
The verdict? Zach Braff is going to have to work harder to find obscure indie pop/rock for his soundtracks – The Shins
are only getting better and better, and this hopefully results in a higher profile.
