low | the OCMD

Artist: Wintersleep
Album: Welcome to the Night Sky
File Under: Indie Rock
Recommended if You Like: Grandaddy, The Editors, Broken Social Scene, Jeff Buckley
Featured Track: ‘Drunk on Aluminum’

This has most definitely been the album of the week for me. While not technically a new album (it was released in Canada in 2007), it just hit the US – and my inbox – last week. And has been on heavy rotation ever since.

Welcome to the Night Sky is the third album for the Halifax-based Wintersleep, and one that seems destined for success in the US. Already quite popular in Canada, the band recently received the 2008 Juno award for ‘New Group of the Year’. Their sound is expansive with heavy, smashing guitars combined with delicate, heartbreaking vocals. A sound so well represented in the track ‘Drunk on Aluminum’.

Dig deeper into the album and you start to peel back the layers, and musical influences. They have drawn comparisons to Radiohead, Mogwai and Low. I hear Jeff Buckley at times, Broken Social Scene, The Editors and a bit of Grandaddy during others. But I think what makes them so compelling to me is that they but they never seem to imitate, only reference these artists. Which makes me keep coming back for more. I can’t quite put my finger on it. So I keep listening to it. And the more I do, the more I love it. I hope you do too.

Catch Wintersleep at Slim’s in San Francisco November 24.

Get this album free via eMusic’s 50 Free MP3 Promo

buy it at insound!

The best thing about my ‘job’ as a blogger (I say that with air quotes), are the presents I get in my inbox from new artists and record labels promoting their goods. It’s like a treasure hunt, sometimes the hunt leaves you empty handed but other times you hit jackpot. That’s the way I felt this week as I listened to two new releases from Canadian artists, The High Dials and Wintersleep. Check it out for yourself.

The High Dials

Montreal-based The High Dials make lush, intelligent psychedelic pop; dreamy anthems built on bittersweet melodies, bright harmonies and moody guitar sounds. They already have a notable fan base with the likes of Brian Jonestown Massacre, who’ve declared them the ‘best band in North America’ and Rod Argent, legendary songwriter of the Zombies. Their new album ‘Moon Country‘ released this week.

The High Dials play this Saturday, October 18, at The Hotel Utah in San Francisco.

Listen to: These Days Mean Nothing to Me

Open Up the Gates

Wintersleep

I’ve been listening to this album from Halifax- based, Wintersleep, repeatedly since I got it. Their new album, ‘Welcome to the Night Sky’, rose to the top of the Canadian indie rock charts drawing comparisons to acts such as Radiohead, Mogwai and Low. The album, which has been called a masterpiece by many, is now available in the US and expected to take America by storm. I’m hooked.

Don’t miss Wintersleep at Slims in San Francisco November 24.

Listen to: Weighty Ghost