the sparrow's feet: I am too dumb to think of a title for this post

Thursday, March 26, 2009

I am too dumb to think of a title for this post

Bruce Peninsula are yet another Canadian band who have captured my heart in a surprisingly short amount of time. I really don't know much about them or even quite how to explain them since I only started listening to their album A Mountain Is a Mouth last night, so this post will be blessedly short.

they are a collective of somewhere around 11 people, with lots of communal vocals and harmonies, hand claps, tambourines, foot-stomping, and incredible energy. they are often described as "folk" or "gospel" (which is extra endearing since I think many of the members are not religious, they simply love the music). the main vocalist, Neil Haverty, has a voice like a young Tom Waits; it's an absolutely perfect complement and contrast to the smooth, light voices of the other members of the collective.

here's a video of them performing their excellent song "Steam Roller." much of the energy you see in the video is exactly how it is on record, which is pretty fantastic. also, how can you go wrong with so much hand-clapping? I fucking love bands that use handclaps as an instrument.