That's The Spirit – Staying Places

This album is a hard one to review. Oh yes. Not because it's bad, its brilliant, and I'm so impressed by That's The Spirit (Ottawan native Ben Wilson, with some help from a few good friends) that to put into words how much i like this album would take up 3 pages and probably only consist of the word 'incredible'. And that wouldn't make a good review. When I do try, whenever I get a good point in my head, I automatically forget it because im too lost in the music. This album feels like an album. It isn't a collection of songs loosely bundled together. It's a positive cloud of music, something almost tangible. When Staying Places is playing, an atmosphere is created that is ethereal, almost dream-like and at the same time, a focused concentration of well placed instruments and vocal lines. In fact, if I wasn't woken up slightly by the vintage piano introduction of 'It's Curtains For You' (a track that drifts across your mental horizon halfway through this release, and then leaves after less than two minutes), Staying Places would have me in a trance from start to finish.Anyone familiar with the current trend of Folk/Americana/Alt-Indie sweeping over the American and Canadian music scene will probably not be surprised by what they're hearing when they first play through Staying Places. Well written music, gently sung, with obscure and ornate instruments popping in and out to add colour to what are essentially simple 3 minute minus pieces of music. For the uninitiated, expect from 'Staying Places' surprising and inventive songs that will mature greatly over multiple listens. One of the best parts of Ben Wilsons opus is the way that every time you play through the tracks, you hear them in different ways. A bit hard to describe, but you just notice something new every time. For example, the main thing I noticed on the first listen of 'Always Coming Back' was the way that it contrasted quite strongly to the first few tracks purely for having an afrobeat, stomping drum line. Second time through it wasn't so much a "party" song, and I bypassed it completely only to get hung up on the sweetly plucked guitar lines in 'Epic Advice'. It's like there's too much music for one album, and it's constantly fighting for prominence. This competitiveness means that the next time your brain clocks onto a particular element of a track, or a song as a whole, you can be guaranteed that it won't sound quite the same as the last time you heard it. This shows an astounding ear for song crafting. Not even songwriting, song crafting. It feels almost like Ben shaped the songs physically, putting little pieces in here and there to surprise or amuse, rather than just being sat in front of a mixing desk or apple computer.Moving on, if I was to attempt to summarise the lyrical content of the album, I would probably refer you all to his press release. And before you shout out loud at such lazy journalism, its obvious to anyone that the best person to tell you about that is the artist himself (or at least his pr team), and as it was summarised so excellently, I would only butcher and misinterpret."From one angle, it's a snapshot of the mind of the postmodern traveller - always wanting to be somewhere else, constantly in search of that idyllic exile, in a shrinking world with exhausted global space....From another angle, though, it's a personal reflection of that age-old conflict of putting down roots versus extending branches - the comfort in routine, versus the challenge and excitement of the unknown and uncharted. From any perspective, Staying Places is meant to be a soulful, optimistic album for explorers and armchair travellers alike."There. But come on Ben, how was I supposed to guess that? Listen to the lyrics and actually put some effort into a review? Oh....that's quite an idea!...good answer.Highlights of this album are many and commonplace, too many to go into without requiring a full dissection of the album. Clever use of natural reverbs, the way the almost brit-pop guitars of 'Every City' sit perfectly with Ben's vocals, delivered with a soft throat comparable almost to Mike Love of Beach Boys fame in places. Indeed, comparisons to Brian Wilson may even be used when considering the composition of the album, which is always high praise. Shades of Grizzly Bear and Menomena can be found singing through at times, especially on 'Unmake Me' and 'Orienteering' respectively, to offer another two points for relation. However, it's much easier (and feels a lot more validating) to say that this is a spotless, near-perfect release. Maybe I've just fallen in love with it, but i can see this album staying just as strong over time as it is now. It certainly packs a punch, albeit a punch covered in the fluffy woolen glove of spaced-out folk.Canada, it seems, has its share of great artists making great music that combines quality songwriting and a skilled hand for lo-fi, delicate production. Sadly though, all we hear about on UK shores is Broken Social Scene and their in-house bands. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, as Broken Social Scene are incredible songwriters and musicians, but if there was any justice in this world, Staying Places and indeed Ben Wilson would be household names in Blighty as much as Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Feist, Emily Haines et al. are. Fans of the previously mentioned should check this gentleman out, because he makes top drawer folk music, and can easily stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Bon Iver and Iron And Wine. And for a debut effort, this is an undeniably evocative and accomplished collection of songs. Let's just hope the postmodern traveller in him doesn't decide to settle down before he gets his music (and himself) over to Great Britain to chart the uncharted some more. 85%mp3:> That's The Spirit: 'Orienteering' mp3:> That's The Spirit: 'Every City'That's The Spirit on MySpace