CONTEST! - Win tix to Megan Hamilton's CD Release Show and a Copy of Her New CD

MEGAN HAMILTON - SEE YOUR MIDNIGHT BREATH IN THE SHIPYARD

Megan Hamilton's sophomore release See Your Midnight Breath In The Shipyard is to be released on April 7th across Canada, and it really is a hauntingly beautiful piece of work. She continues to keep her feet firmly grounded in the world of ethereal folk rock, but the combination of experimental arrangements and her unique and slightly strange voice helps this one rise above your typical indie fare.

The album opens with a few strained plucks on the guitar before a song intriguingly titled Throw It Down The Drain With Your Morning Coffee Grinds kicks in. Megan's voice is impossible to ignore, and her lyrical whimsy is fully evident right from the get-go as this song addresses the topic of eventual hopelessness, but somehow manages to do so in a positive way. From Here To Vancouver shuffles along almost waltz-like, as the lyrics are sung in a Dylan-esque poetic fashion. Hamilton had a full band present with her for this album and this becomes really evident on the rockier tracks, such as Sprout Through the Load or the amazing Cat Tail Legs where the shredding guitar work is fuzzed out and insane. Lyrics like ,"I don't care if nobody wants me. You can take that however you feel" are delivered as plainly as they've been written, and the song is one of many where the build up really knocks you to your senses. There are bluesier numbers like One Day, where the vocals and subdued piano work together to evoke the feeling of being in the lounge of a dirty ship at 3am. Not sure if that's what they were going for but that's how it feels to me. There are also straight ahead country numbers like Why Do We Cry, hypnotic choral moments like We All Love You, and songs that are just bizarre and funny like I <3 Computers. The album is a triumph in that it remains very cohesive and fluid, while still displaying enough variety to keep things interesting. Hamilton mentioned in an interview that she had been listening to Big Star's Third during this time, and nowhere is this more evident than in Wherever You Are which is a song that under different circumstances would be very warm sounding, but in the hands of co-producer, engineer and creative partner Mark Vogelsang, quite the opposite is accomplished in that it's actually got a colder feel to it.

Combining the folksy earthiness of Buffy Sainte-Maire with the starry eclecticism of Joanna Newsom, See Your Midnight Breath In The Shipyard is connecting with me on a different level than I'm used to, and after I'd listened to it once, I found myself craving for it later.

Download: Cat Tail Legs mp3

Myspace: Megan Hamilton
Above photo by Corey Goodyear

CONTEST: Megan Hamilton is playing a CD Release show at The Rivoli on Thursday April 9th. The equally amazing Olenka and the Autumn Lovers will be opening for her, along with Toronto comedienne Kathleen Phillips.

Courtesy of Audio Blood Media, I've got two tickets to the show as well as a copy of her new CD, See Your Midnight Breath In the Shipyard, available for one special fan. To enter, send an e-mail to quadb2001 [at] gmail [dot] com with "I Want Megan Hamilton" in the subject line, and your full name in the body.

Contest is now closed and congrats to Melissa D. Thanks to all who entered.