Ketch Harbour Wolves - Dead Calm Horizon

A couple of my Toronto Music Blog Collective colleagues have been relentlessly preaching the gospel of the Ketch Harbour Wolves for a few weeks now, so I figured it was high time that I check out this highly praised Ontario-by-way-of-Nova-Scotia-based outfit. To say that they have received high praise around these parts is somewhat of an understatement, as their sophomore EP Dead Calm Horizon has hit the top of no less than three best of 2008 lists. Add to that the fact that they're currently allowing you to download the whole EP for free on their website and you've got yourself a band that is doing everything they can to make sure that one cannot ignore them for too long. So is this a band worthy of such fanatical hyper praise, or should I simply call the Tokyo police this vampire weekend, clap my hands and say yeah, here's another overrated blog band for ya?

Well, overall I'm gonna say nope; Dead Calm Horizon is a very good album that is far and away better than most of the major label albums that you have to pay for. Admittedly, as the first few songs whizzed by, I thought that they were a little bit on the "yep, I was there for XTC and Interpol the first time around" side of the fence, and my enthusiasm was relatively reserved. I think the outrageously cold Toronto weather is turning me into a tougher critic than usual. But all good things come to those who wait and it was about a minute into Gold (track 3) that everything was starting to come together for me. Jonathan Tyrell's vocals are sombre and controlled, which I'd imagine wouldn't be easy to do when the band's playing is filled with such a fiery intensity. Each song gets better than the one before. Midnight Dark Water is the closest they get to rocking out, and it's presented with such an inspirational zeal that it harks back to some of the great punk inspired bands of the early 80's that have since gone on to become great big stadium rock bores. Tyrell should play that song for Bono and remind him of what he used to be. (That's right, I said it.) The last two songs on the album are my favourites. Animals is a lesson on restraint. The song is absolutely epic; not in length, but in style. The potential is there for the song to be lifted well into the stratosphere, with ringing guitars and keyboard solos aplenty, which admittedly would still have been kinda cool. But now that gives us something to look forward to when they perform it live, because the euphoric experience that this song could be on the live stage makes me giddy just thinking about it. And Letters, the last song, is beyond beautiful. It's the kind of song that makes it hard to listen to anything else once the album's finished.

I've listened to the album four or five times this week, and it just keeps growing stronger. KHW have definitely got a good thing going on and it'll be fun keeping track of their progress over the next little while. Do yourself a favour, and download the album now, if you haven't already done so.

Ketch Harbour Wolves are playing Holy Joe's at 651 Queen St West on Thursday January 22nd.

Myspace: Ketch Harbour Wolves
Download: Animals mp3


Download: Midnight Dark Water mp3


Other Stuff:
Left Of Zero is playing The Horseshoe tonight. [Myspace: Left Of Zero]

The lovely and talented Olenka and the Autumn Lovers is playing at Rancho Relaxo on Saturday night (Jan 17th) along with a slightly psychedelic band from Brampton called The Odyssey's and a dreamy band from Ottawa called That's The Spirit. [Myspaces: Olenka and the Autumn Lovers, The Odyssey's, That's The Spirit]

Classic rockers The Joys have just released a video for Storm, from the Unfold CD. It was shot in Toronto at the Lakeshore. [Myspace: The Joys]

U2's 12th studio album is entitled No Line On The Horizon and it's out on March 3rd. The track listing has been revealed, (can be seen on Snob's Music,) as has the news that the first single will be Get On Your Boots, which begins streaming on the website on Tuesday January 20th. I wouldn't normally be very excited about this (and admittedly I'm not, actually) but the album is produced by Steve Lillywhite, Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, who produced all of their great albums. So, who knows? [Myspace: U2]

Animal Collective played a new song, possibly called Blue Sky at KOKO in London. The song is not on their latest album, the very weird Merriweather Post Pavilion (which can be streamed over at Rhapsody) but it is currently available for download over at Stereogum. [Myspace: Animal Collective]

Ex-band Be Your Own Pet's ex-lead singer Jemima Pearl talks about how fun it is to get in trouble in New York, karaoke-ing David Lee Roth songs and her new solo project over at Pitchfork. [Myspace: Be Your Own Pet]

And finally, this isn't exactly rock 'n roll news, but cinematic great Ricardo Montalban has passed away and Now Magazine has written a pretty interesting tribute to him. You can see his performance in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan at Fox Beaches on Tuesday night (January 20th) at 7pm. Altogether now: Khhhaaaaaaaaannnnnn!!!!