Timber Timbre- Timber Timbre

Timber Timbre- Timber Timbre
Released: January 13, 2009

The local Toronto folk scene is pretty good. I can't say i have anything wrong with the artists that are around. But i do believe i've stumbled upon one of the finer acts Toronto has to offer. It's scary because he sounds exactly like someone i treasure greatly, that's M. Ward. Timber Timbre is Toronto's answer to M. Ward. This guys is Timber Timbre's frontman and Taylor Kirk. Kirk's music revives a traditional bluesy sound but stays in the vein of folk music. He has rockabilly-esq vocals that never bleed too much in the genre. Which is nice because i never feel the need to turn off his music. Timber Timbre makes beautifully eerie music that keeps listeners intrigued. His lyrics are straight up—through precision and clarity. His sound is very delicate, but his vocals are deliberate, something i think M. Ward lacks greatly. The opening song is perfect, it's called “Demon Host” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lLQj_VO9kc). The lyrics are imaginative, but believable. The song structure isn't conventional. He recaps a pattern in the song but doesn't return to the same lyrics. The lyrics instead serve more as a story to be told. This song reminds me of something old, i'm not sure why, maybe because of the fierce imagery. His vivid description really makes this song for me, the second verse is as follows:“candle, candle, candle on my clockoh lord i must have heard you knock me out of bedas the flames licked my headand my lungs filled all black”Lyrics all comprehensible from first listen. Moving apart from the lyrics the last bit of this song is absolutely stunning. He has an “ooooh-ing” motif throughout the entire song. He nabs it perfectly at the end when he sings: “i know there's no such things as ghost and i have seen the demon host”. A piano builds upon his easy strumming and heavier vocals kick in. The lame thing about this song is two lines in the second verse where he sings “Here is the church, here is the steeple/Open the door, there are the people”. Instantly after hearing this lyric i though of the Moldy Peaches song “Anyone Else But You”, cute in its own right this lyric felt a little exhausted thanks to Ellen Page and Michael Cera.My favourite tune off the album is called “We'll Find Out”. It's simple and by far the most accessible song off of the album. The beginning very conventionally falls together with alternating lyrics, repeated and varied. The chorus is simple, just one line: “You had nothing, just believe it, we all see it”. I love that he layers his music so effortlessly, it might be the “Oohing” or it might be his gradual use of violins very gently. As i mentioned before he's from Toronto, in the last two weeks he's played a gig at the Tranzac with Forest City Lovers and the D'Urbervilles. Additionally he played an in-store at Soundscapes in support of this brand spanking new album. His next gig is at the Music Gallery, which is just near Much Music some time in early February.It's definitely worth fifteen bucks. It may not coming to you first listen but it's a grower. Give it a go if you have any taste at all. There however NO lyrics included in the liners...I like his stories and i think you might too! Give him a go.

January 20, 2009