Wooden Arms

iTunes Review

A gentle guitar-based melody, Tim Burton-worthy atmospherics, and Patrick Watson’s smooth cooing combine for the beautifully haunting opener “Fireweed” on Wooden Arms, the third album from the Polaris Prize-winner (for Close to Paradise) and his backing band. The soothing, lullaby vibe turns more urgent and even more fantastical on “Beijing,” where a “Chopsticks”-esque piano riff creates a frenetic backdrop before disintegrating into syncopated rhythms and string orchestration. Watson’s in-the-pocket vocals meld seamlessly with the folk-y instrumentation throughout Wooden Arms — reaching its peak on chamber-pop standout “Big Bird In a Small Cage,” featuring gorgeous male/female harmonies and feel-good handclaps. The album has a cohesive feel — most songs will keep you glued to the dreamy, unconventional cadences that roll into each other like ocean waves — so much so that it seems natural when Watson steps away from the mic on a couple of instrumentals — atmospheric “Hommage” and at-times cyclonic “Down At the Beach.”