"Leave me be...I've got everything I could ever possibly need."

Woodpigeon may be one of the worst band names I’ve ever heard and in fact is the sole reason it took me so long to listen to the album when I received it. I’m not gonna lie…it’s been in the “to listen” pile for a few months so when I came across it again I finally decided to suck it up and take a look. As I perused the track names, the title of the first lured me in…“Home as a Romanticized Concept Where Everyone Loves You Always and Forever”…what an amazing title! It totally made up for the shitty band name but I couldn’t help thinking that they were probably trying too hard to be hip and overcompensating for something that must be lacking after I saw the second track was titled “A Sad Country Ballad for a Tired Superhero”. I was wrong…way wrong.

The group with the hideous name hails from Canada and you all know how I love all things Canadian. I love Joni Mitchell, Anne Murray, Nelly Furtado, Ryan Gosling, Alanis Morissette, Ryan Reynolds, Sandra Oh, Gordon Lightfoot, Peter Jennings and above all...Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Oh yes…go ahead and make fun all you want but I adore him. Always have, always will.

And per usual, I digress. Back to the music…

Like fellow Canucks Broken Social Scene before them, Woodpigeon (OUCH!...that name!) boasts an inordinate amount of members in the group…7 main members and 18 contributors in all. Often times this can make for a confused sound…messy and scattered…but here, it works remarkably well. The members seem to be very focused on exploiting the talents of each individual member to benefit the whole in an incredible way. At times they sound a bit alt-country folk but overall the group utilizes interesting instrument combinations to achieve their unique sound and to me it never seems overproduced. I’ve heard them touted as Canada’s answer to Sufjan Stevens and while I understand the comparisons I don’t necessarily agree…Sufjan hasn’t ever been my cup of tea and these guys could have me drinking all day. Sufjan fans will assuredly find much to love on this record but I don’t dare count out all those people who haven’t been bitten by the Sufjan bug either…there’s something here for everyone if you just listen long enough.

Songbook is indeed a book of sorts…full of stories in song form. There are stories of lost love and friendships, epic journeys and even a few laughs thrown in to balance it all out. And because it is essentially a book of stories, I prefer to listen to it in its entirety from start to finish so that the effect and vision is fully realized. However, here are a few of my stand alone favorites. To purchase the album in its entirety, which I HIGHLY suggest you do, visit Rectangle Record's website and download a free copy of their EP Houndstooth while you’re there! Enjoy the band with the terrible name…

Woodpigeon – “Home as a Romanticized Concept Where Everyone Loves You Always and Forever”

Woodpigeon – “If Only I Were A Painter, I’d Paint For You The Moon”

Woodpigeon – “That Was Good But You Can Do Better”