Artist: Patrick Watson
Title: Wooden Arms
Label: Peacefrog
Genre: Indie
Bitrate: 169kbit av.
Time: 00:45:12
Size: 58.21 mb
Rip Date: 2009-04-03
Str Date: 2009-05-11
1. Firewood 3:35
2. Tracy's Waters 3:47
3. Beijing 4:06
4. Wooden Arms 3:08
5. Hommage 2:04
6. Traveling Salesman 3:42
7. Big Bird In A Small Cage 4:03
8. Down At The Beach 5:18
9. Man Like You 4:11
10. Where The Wild Things Are 3:52
11. Machinery Of The Heavens 7:26
Release Notes:
Wooden Arms is Patrick Watson's highly anticipated follow-up
to the critically acclaimed Close to Paradise, which vaulted
the man and his band to international stardom in 2007. The
Montreal band toured non-stop for two years following initial
Canadian release of Close to Paradise in 2006, and in many
ways Wooden Arms is the story and sound of a band waking up in
strange places all around the world.
Whether it's the bicycle-city sound of 'Beijing,' or the
warmth of 'a hole in the wall' in 'sweet New Orleans' on 'Big
Bird in a Small Cage,' or the haunting European waltz of the
title track, you can't help but feel in listening to Wooden
Arms like you're on the road with the band. Sometimes it's
dirty, sometimes it's wild, but it's never, ever boring.
Close to Paradise won Canada's prestigious Polaris Prize in
2007, turning more than a few heads in beating out offerings
from Arcade Fire and Feist, among others. By the time it saw
release in the United States, Europe and Japan, the band was
flying all over the world, garnering rave reviews for the
album and their blistering live show alike.
When the dust had settled the band had written enough songs on
the road to lay down a new record in a few short months at the
end of 2008 in Montreal. On the album's opener,
'Fireweed,' Watson sings, 'So we dug ourselves a hole, and
planted all our skin; like a seed in the ground, to grow
again.' And you can hear stripped down rejuvenation all over
Wooden Arms; Watson's voice and orchestrations shine brighter
against a rhythmic percussive foundation that has been brought
to the forefront.
But Wooden Arms isn't just the sound of a band learning how to
build a slicker wall of sound together. The playful album
closer 'Machinery of the Heavens' is almost a full on
swing-tune; 'Big Bird in a Small Cage' proves they're capable
of producing a perfect country-pop song, and fans of 'The
Great Escape÷ from Close to Paradise will have a hard-time
resisting the heart-wrenching just-voice-and-guitar of 'Man of
Like You.'
Perhaps most importantly though, Wooden Arms showcases both
Watson and his bandmates as genuine composers, and the serious
musicians that they are∙from the orchestral pull of 'Tracey's
Waters,' to Simon Angell's noise-twang on 'Traveling Salesman'
to drummer Robbie Kuster's jaw-dropping performances and his
string piece 'Hommage,' to the anchor of Mishka Stein's bass
on the instrumental freak-out number, 'Down at the Beach.'