Even more Canadian ear candy in the form of Toronto band Ketch Harbour Wolves and their ’08 EP, Dead Calm Horizon. The band is beginning to get some serious recognition north of the border from the indie music press and blogs. Ketch Harbour is a former rural fishing village on the Atlantic coast near Halifax, Nova Scotia. The geographic significance seeps into the lyrics and subject matter of this album with sober metaphorical references to dark, cold harbors, oceanic themes and stormy weather.
The KHW recipe is not an altogether unique blend of moody, somber vocals with driving percussion, sporadic piano light notes and indie arrangements. But the execution here is strong and makes for an interesting listen, especially on a cold, cloudy February day in Chicago or possibly after coming home following a late night of heavy drinking. The vocals and instrumentation remind me somewhat of Interpol and The National.
Two of the stronger tracks are “Midnight Dark Water” and “Animals.” “Midnight Dark Water” incorporates some great percussion, with steady drumbeat, handclaps and solid bass line. Somewhere around mid-way through the track, some piano high notes emerge to offset those dark poetic expressions of lead vocalist Jonathan Tyrrell. Helping push the song are howling vocals and cymbal crashes that eventually conclude with a light, soft guitar fade-out. Really, a solid track that is a good representative, along with the nautical-themed Animals, for the rest of the album.
At times contrasting elements, foreboding darkness balanced perhaps by hope, weave through the lyrics. On “So Long to The Ground,” the lyrics even optimistically, almost pleadingly, pose the question of favorable, yet unlikely resolution:
hey, do you think we can work something out,
you have the faith and I have the doubt
I think we’re going to be hearing more from this band in the near future so enjoy these tracks from Dead Calm Horizon, which is available for free download here.
Ketch Harbour Wolves -Midnight Dark Water
Ketch Harbour Wolves – Animals
Video: Ketch Harbour Wolves – Words
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