Whiskey Lad Rec. 
Mr.Pine : Rewilding (CAN,2008)***°
I had to listen a couple of times to this already second album of this Canadian band Mr.Pine, for there is a certain diversity that makes it difficult to hear all aspects in a quick first listen. It is as if somehow they came from a different indie(pop)rock style, (and this is exactly in the order of experience the album sounds like) with the more easy drums and bass closer to pop and the strums of guitar (partly) and banjo and flute leaning to folk already. Then it is as if they rather quickly began to adapt more and more folk leanings into the music (like acoustic pickings, traditional melody,..), and began to develop ideas coming from the British folk heritage, and with this association developing, and thanks to a classical education, they start to combine this with more Renaissance ideas on guitars or flutes (“The Enclave”), or baroque arrangements with harpsichord (“Blue Onyx” is led by two harpsichords!!), or a few more classical arranged elements and even a few small orchestrations. The combination of folk with classical (the piano and harpsichord especially) might have evolved out of an admiration for Mellow Candle. Alison O’Donnel (former Mellow Candle) was invited to feature on “Sleep of Ondine”, a homage to Mellow Candle, which you hear especially in the break, a bit less in the vocal arrangements which were complex at Mellow Candle, this has its own charm and is just an inspiration, something new while the hints are absolutely clear. This Mellow Candle-association returns as accents in several more tracks, especially for the additional piano (like on the first Pierrot Lunaire a bit, but more simple) or for the harpsichord. And after a few more totally acoustic tracks (without rhythm instruments), something of Trees seems to have come in suddenly, the more electric strength of folk-rock, especially on the last track where the band, as a chamber-folk-rock band, develops an energy to improvise. A nice album.
Personnel: Matt McLennan (vocals, acoustic and electric guitars); Kevin Scott (acoustic guitar, piano, organ, harpsichord, recorder, concertina, vocals); Richard Caners (violin); Leslie Oldham (vocals); Jason Peters (electric and acoustic guitars, tambourine); Ken Phillips (bass, classical guitar).
Guest players: Alison O'Donnell (vocals); Ryan McVeigh (electric guitar, tambourine, percussion); Matt Hildebrand (drums, percussion); Jeremy Epp (drums); Anna Bond (violin); Kristjanna Oleson (viola); Jonathan Bauch (cello); Nathalie Roy (soprano recorder); Mark McLearon (alto recorder); Margaret McKenty (tenor recorder); Jay Churko (banjo); Kim Coss (flute); Clare Reimer-Dorratt (oboe).
