Album Review: Patrick Watson's Wooden Arms is Nothing Short of Incredible

Winner of the Polaris Prize in 2007 for Close to Paradise, Patrick Watson's new album on Secret City Records, Wooden Arms, will truly leave you spellbound, especially if you're a fan of progressive/experimental (and even classical) music that utilises the whole gamut of the musical spectrum for pure sonic ear candy. Any instrument you can think of, it's probably on here, with just about every style, save perhaps Latin American. Though originally from CA, like me, he lives in Montreal and this album could be easily classified under the new weird America tag that you might've seen on last.fm.

With a tenor-like/falsetto voice similar to M. Ward, Devendra Banhart, Iron and Wine, Nick Drake, and Bon Iver, Patrick Watson serenades with you sweet nothings and lullabies, but these songs are anything but simple, rather they are meticulously layered and composed with complex arrangements like Animal Collective, Yeasayer, and The Microphones, leaving you with unlimited opportunites to explore this album's exciting depths like an undiscovered gold mine. Every song on this incredible album will take you far on a journey somewhere that you never knew you could go to or even wanted to. Whether it is the stunning barrage of Kodo drums thundering in your ears on "Beijing" taking you to fog drenched hidden mountains in the farthest depths of Asia, the Cabaret-like Tom Waitsian numbers, the beautiful classical arrangment of "Hommage", the exquisite alt-country/folk harmonies of "Big Bird in a Small Cage" against a backdrop of quiet guitar fingerpicking and banjo, or the utterly exciting track, "Where the Wild Things Are," this is easily my favorite album of the year, one I will play constantly on The New Spin.

Having also released last year's Polaris Prize-nominated Plants and Animals to well-deserved critical acclaim, Secret City Records are clearly a label that wants, deserves, your attention, and Patrick Watson's Wooden Arms is their latest secret weapon, one that will shoot you straight in the heart and leave you begging for more.

--Dashiell Brown, host of The New Spin, "the best music you've never heard."

Review: Green Go's "Borders"

As a live music fan rather than an avid clubber, I prefer bands to DJs—no disrespect intended. But I do like dancing, and once in a while a really top-notch electro group can get me really moving. Woodhands, of course. But perhaps my second favourite is a young Guelph band called Green Go.

Up to now, to take a bit of the party home with me, I've had to do with their EP, a sampler/teaser given out at shows since the fall, and their more recent remixes of some of my favourite Canadian bands. But now Green Go's got their debut full-length ready. And, as I expected, it's great.

Standout tracks on Borders include "You Know You Want It," "Ghosts of the Future," and "Fool Me Once." Like most of the tracks, "You Know You Want It" is a fast-paced number with interesting, inventive synth lines, inventive percussion, and multiple vocal parts. "Fool Me Once" is the high point of the album for me. It starts out slow then gets fast, moving back and forth a couple times, highlighting the importance of the vocals and lyrics on the album. Impressive synth, bass, and guitar lines play off each other, backed up by drums. I would think it impossible not to dance to this one. There's also more standard electro pop like the uber catchy "Brains for Breakfast," and the fun, energetic songs I most associate with this band: "Put Your Specs On Boy" (which features a great, driving jam-out section near the end), "Cash Money Gremlins," and "Watch Your Step."

The slow songs are some of the ones that really got me into this band, but Toronto crowds can be fickle, so the downtempo ones ("Set Me Free," "Danger Bay") aren't always performed. On the album, listeners can really appreciate the intricacies of good dance music: speed and freneticism are cool and all, but Green Go gives you a more varied workout.

Download: "You Know You Want It" (Borders, 2009).
Download: "Fool Me Once" (Borders, 2009).

Cleary, I'm a fan, and I'm thrilled the record so marvelously captures the qualities that impress me about the band's music. The album is now out in select stores and online. Go get a copy.

I've got a giveaway running on my blog for two tickets to their CD release show in Toronto this Thursday, 29 April, as well as a copy of the new disk. If you're in the Toronto area (and are 19+), go here for all the details.

Oceanship release debut album

It is often said, or at least in my mind, that to play music in a social context, you often need to be with people who are on the save wave length as you and whith whom you share a certain level chemistry. In Oceanship lives a creative duo that exemplifies the ying/yang balance of woman/man creative super powers. Carly Paradis (keys + vocals) met Brad Lyons (guitar + vocals) some years ago, on the Ontarian campus of McMaster University through some mutual friends. Brad was in between bands and Carly was jamming and creating alone as she studied multimedia. It all began when Carly asked Brad to lay down some guitar tracks for her thesis. They then sort of lost track of eachother for a few years after having had a few very good jams...

They reunited in 2004 , as, in Carly's words, "both of us were at a strange/floating place in our lives, we began to create magic in his living room (we called the gold room). It was here that the first songs were written. We both knew that we were doing something very special that summer. Shortly after, we both decided to give this our all and formed the duo Oceanship. We recorded the Oceanship EP in 2005. We compliment each other very well as Brad is a very talented and emotional lyricists, and we both take what ever sparks of inspiration we discover and create and develop them in whatever colour or vision we feel from it."

Already available in physical format and coming digitally at the end of the month, most songs on the new album evolve around Carly's use of piano and keyboards, while Brad seems to build on top with acoustic and electric guitar arrangements complemented by a talented cast of supporting musicians. What comes out the other end is a powerful emotional pop rock journey. The band is not afraid of dynamics, slowly creating crescendos and transitions, where Carly's instrumentations gets the chance to shine, as Brad's tempestuous vocals come at the right time to bring the right brand of something to the equation.

Their single Hotblack is one of utmost delight. I've been listening to it on repeat as I've been writing this. It's almost radio friendly. No, it is radio friendly, it's good! The song starts with a slow build-up that leads into an endearing wordless chorus (with that epic bass line). Pop sensation, yes? The same can almost be said of the third track on the album, Excited. Then there is Go, which has a Colplay-esque anthemic quality to it. They are the best songs on the album and should really be heard by people who like good things in life.

Original: Oceanship - Hotblack

Oceanship is an overall pleasant album to listen to. It is like real life. The album has its ups and downs, happy songs / sad songs, slow songs / fast songs. Oceanship write down to earth pop which keeps the audiophile in mind. The Oceanship album is out on CD through the band's website and digitally on April 30th.