Once known as Friday Morning’s Regret, an ode to the sins committed by University students, Toronto’s newest alt-country sensation have regrouped as The Wooden Sky and have taken a step in the solemn yet earnest direction. Lead singer Gavin Gardiner commands If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone, with a penetrating, at times baritone voice that evokes Tom Petty and his countrified and easily identifiable tales of woe.
But don’t be fooled, there is nothing depressing about If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone. It’s a record that finds it’s footing early on and keeps the pace for 13 tracks with constant, immeasurably smooth rhythms and deftly placed, campfire-ready melodies.
The production on If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone, shines on “My Old Ghosts,” a staunchly Canadian track that would pair well with some kind of gentle river and the introspection that often comes with standing beside one.
Never afraid to turn things up, The Wooden Sky brim with more classic Canadiana with bustling and building guitars on “Lock And Key.” With solos that would make a gypsy who has an ear for detail proud, If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone might just be the perfect soundtrack for a wandering, gypsy type soul. If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone moves with a brooding clarity, showcasing a band that isn’t afraid to move in any direction they please.
By Joshua Kloke
[Rating: 3.5/5]