Album Review

Said The Whale – Islands Disappear

• 18th Apr 2011

Indie band Said The Whale released this excellent album in their native Canada back in 2009. While I can’t find any trace of a UK release it can be downloaded from iTunes – and at the bargain price of just £5.49 too.

And the band who have been named Canada’s ‘New Group Of The Year 2011’ will be playing shows in London and Brighton in May prior to an appearance at Liverpool Sound City.

Four tracks from the album are also available to download for free from [link]

So that’s the preliminaries taken care of. Now to the album.

With vocals shared between Tyler Bancroft and Ben Worcester there is variety to the sound and some fine harmonies from keyboard player Jaycelyn Brown give a warm feel to much of the music. Crisp melodies and big choruses feature in equal parts to produce songs that you will want to play again.

The tracks are generally short, with thirteen songs making up an album that lasts for just 35 minutes or so. But there’s something to be said for keeping things to the point and leaving your audience wanting more.

Dear Elkhorn opens the album, a short track that sees a plain but strong vocal rise over an insistent piano. The harmonies build for a chorus that is lyrically simple but draws you into the album from the start.

Out on the Shield, B.C. Orienteering and Emerald Lake, AB, all tell stories about different ways of surviving in the often difficult Canadian countryside. But they do so in an upbeat fashion that exudes both hope and triumph.

Camilo (The Magician), previously released on a 2007 EP, is a power pop song that features chunky guitar riffs that drive the song forward and the big chorus is the type that will sound great on the radio. The pick of the album for me.

The title track is moody and mystical, featuring an instrumental introduction before the vocal kicks in. Subtle contributions from trumpet and saxophone make this a gentle yet moving song.

Black Day in December would suggest something downbeat and menacing, but the lyrics are jaunty and the pace is fast, while Gentleman is a tender song of yearning for love lost love. False Creek Change has a folky feel in a song about watching the evolution of a home town that leaves the singer feeling like an outsider.

The album ends on an untypically sombre note with Holly, Ontario, an elegant piece of music with a delicate guitar intro that backs a mournful vocal.

This is a mainly vibrant album with a very Canadian feel to it. The lyrics mention places probably unfamiliar to most: Emerald Lake, Alberta; Elkhorn, Manitoba and Holly, Ontario. But the music is good enough for the album to travel well and still have relevance. UK audiences might well be hearing a lot more of Said The Whale.