Albums to Listen to: Cedar Shakes and Timber Timbre
Songs to Listen to: Home:
And everything including this (Demon Host) on self-titled album
Right now Taylor Kirk is saving me from drowning in surf rock. Kirk, a fellow Canadian, is the singer-songwriter behind the blues-folk-rock sounds of Timber Timbre. Timber Timbre's music is cinematic and it's lyric's astoundingly tactile. Kirk has achieved a sound that is at once swampy and ragged, while remaining soft and beautiful throughout. On Timber Timbre's first album, Cedar Shakes, Kirk had yet to find the voice that makes the latest self-titled album so stirring. However, Cedar Shakes is not only the sound of something great in the making, but stands alone as a dynamic album. Cedar Shakes begins with "So Much," an instrumental piece that effectively establishes the setting for the rest of the album. As "So Much" smoothly gives way to the song "Home," the listener becomes surrounded by the rawboned rural landscape of Kirk's Ontario farmland.
As I mentioned, Kirk's voice definitely went through an amazing transformation in the latest album. In Cedar Shakes, Kirk sings a lot like Jerry Garcia, and the whole album actually has a Greatful Dead vibe, not a bad thing by any means, however, on Timber Timbre, Kirk's voice is nothing but his own. What I find so impressive about the vocals on this album is that they are haunting without being cliche. Kirk doesn't rely filters to achieve his ominous sound, rather, his voice is pure and clear, but there is an innate gloom in his tone.
I saw Timber Timbre play in the Fall at Joe's Pub in Manhattan. The dark candle lit lounge was the perfect setting for this band for obvious (spooky) reasons, however, seated at tables, people were able to really listen and experience the filmic quality of Kirk's music.
Although the overriding feel of this band is dusky and even phantasmal, there is never a lifeless moment. Timber Timbre is as eerie as it is exquisite.
No comments:
Post a Comment