AC July: Woodpigeon – Treasury Library Canada c/w Houndstooth Europa

At first I had a really hard time selecting this months album – mostly because I have so many albums in mind that I want to feature.  However, after learning a little about Woodpigeon and listing to their latest (or rather, two latest, packaged together), Treasury Library Canada c/w Houndstooth Europa, it became clear that it would be my pick, for a number of reasons.

First, they are Canadian.  And this being Canada day, it seems appropriate.  In fact, they are from Calgary Alberta, which is also cool.  There is not much good music coming out of my home province, but Woodpigeons is certainly an exception.

Second, although I have previously mentioned my growing infatuation with folk music, we have yet to feature any in the album club.  Now, you may be able to argue that Woodpigeon are not actually “folk,” but rather something akin to orchestral pop.  OK, you may have a point, but really, with all the blending of genres out there, its hard to classify bands in any one style anymore.  Therefore, I think Woodpigeons are folk enough for me to call them so.

Third, I feel really bad because Brittney wrote to me requesting I choose Swan Lake next, and although I appreciated the request and would have loved to comply, I ultimately decided against it.  (Sorry Brittney, I just had too many other bands I wanted to pick!)  In making her pitch, though, two reasons why she thought Swan Lake would be a good choice were, “They are Canadian and I feel that we should feature more Canadian indie bands because they don’t get enough time in the spotlight a lot of times… and it would continue with the Animal theme (Animal Collective, Super Furry Animals & Grizzly Bear)”.  So, I would like to point out to Britteny that Woodpigeons are also Canadian, and they continue the animal theme.

Brittney certainly has a point that Canadian bands often do not get the attention they deserve, especially south of the border.  This is especially true with Woodpigeons, though, since they are still quite unknown even in their own country.  And this is a shame, really, since they have received some really fantastic reviews, many from Brittish sources (The Sunday Times called the album “Bloody Marvelous,” which is about as good as praise gets in the old country).  And, based on my priliminary listen, I think I would have to agree – this is really good stuff.

So please join me in giving one of the most underrated bands in Canada the attention it deserves.  And since we are talking Canada, you can stream the entire album for free over at CBC Radio 3.

Download an MP3 of the song, Oberkampf here.

Visit their myspace page here.