The European release of Woodpigeon's second album is upon us and is defiantly one for the collection.
Woodpigeon are an eight piece combination of vocals, guitars, piano, glockenspiel, accordion, banjo, mandolin, violins and flutes. Some mixture, but this Canadian collective make a sound which is a blend of folk pop, boy/girl harmonies and kind of twee in style. They remind me at times of Belle and Sebastian, Fairport Convention and early Prefab Sprout. The Guardian recently described them as "an intriguing proposition...a sort of semi-acoustic Arcade Fire or a full band version of Sufjan Stevens".
I must admit their first album "Songbook" completely passed me by but by about the third play of "Treasury Library Canada" I have become a fan and these guys are certainly not a group to be overlooked.
The album opens with "Knock Knock" and straight away you get a feel for the sound, mood and the direction that becomes their trade mark style. My favourite track on the album follows. "Piano Pieces For Adult Beginners" as its title suggests a piano led, catchy tune that showcases Mark Hamilton's strong lead vocals and clever, thoughtful witting skills. Next up, and another favourite, the brilliantly titled "In The Battle Of Sun vs. Curtains, Sun Loses And We Sleep Until Noon". Again Hamilton sings his charm in a beautiful melody and the piece gets the full orchestration treatment.
"I Live A lot Of Places" gains a pace to another pleasant foot taping folky song. Really pleasant to the ears. As the album flows, the tracks really catch you and grow all the time, as I say by my third play I was well and truly hooked. Sterling strings and clever harmonies that are powerful in delivery and style. Another good example of which is "Anna, Girl in The Clocktower"...perfect.
According to singer Hamilton, the writing and recording of the record redefined "his understanding of words like, love, hope and home and what they truly mean". The songs are thoughtful and sometimes deep but all work well that's for sure.
Woodpigeon are undertaking a mini European tour in February with six dates in Britain. After which a full scale tour including the "festival season" is to follow. With quirky, long song titles, an unbelievable amount of instruments and sounds Woodpigeon may appear to be a confused mess with no direction. Far from it, this band is not to be underestimated. Its early in the year but its a definite candidate for any 2009 best of list. Glorious.