Exclusive: Nightwood CD review

A few weeks back a package arrived in the mail. It contained a CD for my listening pleasure and reviewing leisure. Usually my reviews are posted sporadically because much of my new music is no longer new by the time it finds me. Receiving a CD before its launch poses extra responsibilities. So I took the time to digest it, to reflect upon it, and to muse about whether this CD belongs on my shelf or under my cup of coffee. It definitely belongs on my shelf. Taking the extra time, I can now sum up the debut EP from Nightwood:

Promise, potential and pleasure for the ears.

And who is Nightwood? Nightwood is a trio who during the day will serve you eggs over easy at one of Montreal’s finest diners, who will write smut and then watch Harry Potter with you, and who put you in touch with the indie scene through the banging of drums. Nightwood is the offspring of Canadian rock royalty awakening in Canada’s cultural capital. Nightwood is Erin Ross, Amber Goodwyn and Famous Eric. Their debut EP is Big City.

The promise Nightwood holds is that their debut EP is a burst of beauty.Goodwyn’s voice is commanding and, at times, raw, and it is beautifully paired with Ross’s sweet backing vocals. The music is plodding and driven. One can image the power of their live show. There is enough on this EP to envision where the band will go in the future.

That is where the potential lays. The vocals are fresh, moving between soothing the listener to invigorating them. Their sound is reminiscent of Patti Smith, and Nightwood will be a force to reckon with if they can channel her power. What makes this a debut CD is the lyrics. The opening lines of the first track “Blind Assassin” are slightly jarring hearing a female voice sing “I never said I was the right man for the job.” Also, Nightwood follows the same path of many new bands by relying on repetition. This is apparent on the track “Elephantine” where the sound has a pleasant plodding progression that gives the impression of being too long as the lyrics become a series of repetitions. This is a minor thing that will be easily corrected as Nightwood develops its craft.

As to the pleasure for the ears, much has been alluded to above. Two female singers – one conjuring the raw deep power of Patti Smith while the other providing a sweet innocence. All three are excellent musicians, with the drums setting the tone of the band. This is a band that you can just pop into your music player and sit back with.

Encore:

Nightwood is on tour now!

The launch of Big City is Saturday, May 17^th, 2008 at Casa Del Popelo , 4873 St-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. Check out their MySpace page for the rest of their tour.

Nightwood is playing in Ottawa on Monday, May 19^th, 2008 at Zaphod Beeblebrox, 27 York St., Ottawa, Ontario – NOTE: this is a FREE show! So pop on down and support the band by purchasing some of their merchandise.