Photo by Marc Rimmer
Listen to the band in Spotify.
As I browsed the shelves of FOPP yesterday afternoon, refreshing indie-pop songs were sailing up and down the ailses. My ears got hungry, and I started scanning behind the till for a “now playing” display, hoping to hunt down the source of these melodic wonders. With nothing to direct me, I asked the guy at the till who was playing – turns out it was Woodpigeon. I subsequently picked up their latest release, Treasury Library Canada (apparently another shopper had done the same just two minutes earlier), and have spent much of today, avoiding essays, listening to it.
Hailing from Canada and led by primary song-writer Martin Hamilton, Woodpigeon have been described as a cross between Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire. This is, actually, an accurate description of their music, but don’t let it influence your judgement, for they are their own distinct entity. Just listen to that guitar solo in “Knock Knock”, to the melodies in “A Moment’s Peace for Mary Christa O’Keefe” and “I Live a Lot of Places”, to the swelling strings and harmonies that season their songs. These are infectious little melodic slices that are instantly captivating. This week I lost my Woodpigeon virginity. I hope you do too.
Woodpigeon are currently on a UK/European tour. Check their MySpace for dates.
Video courtesy of Bandstand Busking
Andrew Lindsay is a Glasgow-based singer-songwriter and deputy editor of Stereokill. 
