Monday, January 4, 2010

herohill / music nova scotia artist of the month:: postdata

As far as acts that escape the confines of Canada's Ocean Playground, one common trait holds true for any of the bands that get National attention; hard work. Whether it's Plaskett touring his ass off, Holy Fuck getting Polaris nominated or Jenn Grant flying to LA for a ya-Canada pre-grammys show, it takes more than talent to make it in the music business. You have to be willing to put in the hours.

Another act that would be on that list is Wintersleep. The band has grinded out a successful career and realized their talent with the release of the stellar (Juno award winning) LP, Welcome to the Night Sky. While most of Canada (and the UK) waits for their follow up record, guitarist Paul Murphy and his brother Michael set to work on recording an emotional collection of songs for their mom.

The songs - recorded under the moniker Postdata - were not written as work. No, the nine songs are an expression of love; an expression of reality. I hesitate to put too much of my own words into such a personal record - the family dynamics revealed on these heartfelt, honest compositions will probably be misinterpreted by everyone as we try to relate to the Murphy's story - but that desire to relate to his words is why the stripped down songs work so well. Like good music should, each of these songs forces a connection on the listener, causing you to scramble through your own memories of awkward love, family bonds, and pain as you try to answer questions that have no real answers. The words send chills down your spine, but are delivered in such a beautiful melody, you want to let the record play over and over again. Postdata documents the past in an effort to look forward... pretty fitting as we all try to start fresh in 2010.