Recording: Snowblink

Artist: Snowblink

Song: Something Wanted to be Wild Here

Recorded at The Art Gallery of Ontario ("Long Winter: AGO First Thursdays Takeover"), January 2, 2014.

Snowblink - Something Wanted to be Wild Here

Full review to follow. The AGO's First Thursdays have been serving up local music as one segment of its interactive mix'n'mingle monthly series, while Long Winter has been curating DIY art alongside the concerts they've been throwing at the Great Hall. On paper it makes for an appealing crossover opportunity to combine the two. And while the LW crew brought some cool ideas (and a tasty mix of musicians) down to Dundas and McCaul, the execution was somewhat inelegant. Putting the headlining bands in galleries on the opposite ends of the 5th floor contemporary wing allowed for two distinct environments — and both sets were really good — but the experience was marred by making patrons wait in a distinctly unfun lineup to get there. [Given the recent capacity issues at the Great Hall as well, Long Winter is in danger of its brand becoming synonymous with waiting in line.]

Once the hassle of getting upstairs was taken care of, Snowblink's set was an oasis of serenity. And, excitingly, after just a couple nods to their back catalogue the bulk of their set was given over to new songs. Still and always nominally a duo, the band is, at the moment, a six-piece, rendering it capable of delivering a heady sort of California soft-rock, powered by the intuitive hip-shimmy of age-old folksong groovewisdom. With its laid-back four-part harmonies, this one might be my favourite of the new stuff.