i am sitting here in awe, listening to this album.

i’ve had maybe 7 or 8 hours of sleep over the last two days, both of which have been between 10 and 12 hours each at the new job. we went and ate at our favorite restaurant, genghis khan, out of sheer, exhausted necessity. we got home and my wife, whose last few days have been even longer than mine, went straight to bed.

yes, the band is called timber (the new gentleman’s shuffle) — the album is self-titled. i’m very happy i gave it a listen before heading to sleep myself. as long-time readers of tSoS will know, i really love the bare, simple, intelligent folky-stuff, and timber is an exactly perfect example of this mindset. admittedly, i’ve been waiting for months to run across this thing, which can be had from their label ships at night’s website - or, if you prefer the straight-to-digital shopping realm, check out their section on zunior.

comprised of david mcleod (of spengler and fellow SAN band the field register), warren spicer (of plants and animals, also on SAN), and katie moore, this three piece plays slow songs with just enough space between the notes to get caught up in. the vocal harmonies provide the cold whirlwind that brings back lonely nights and let-downs. there’s a handful of noisy moments scattered throughout the album, but these serve as a raucous counterpoint to the melancholy beauty of their surroundings.

the label also has a couple of mp3s available for just about all of the albums in their catalog, including timber:

timber (the new gentleman’s shuffle) - wayside (from the new gentleman’s shuffle)

timber (the new gentleman’s shuffle) - criminals (from the new gentleman’s shuffle)

if you are in the montreal area, you shouldn’t have any problem seeing this band, according to the ships at night shows page - the rest of the roster, much of which is inter-related, seems to be pretty busy as well.

here’s a few more from the label, while i’m there:

the field register - ceramic (from tire & caster, 2006)

the field register - lines (from tire & caster, 2006)

the field register - plainview (from eastern shore, 2003)

the field register - eastern shore (from eastern shore, 2003)

plants and animals - jacques . . . (from plants and animals, 2005)

orillia opry - poison house (from pandion haliaetus, 2006)

orillia opry - i live in a loft like an osprey (from pandion haliaetus, 2006)

as a bonus, the label also provides all but 1 song of the unavailable, self-titled 2002 ep from the field register right here . . . i’m having no luck finding that missing track (”dream-miles distant”) through the usual channels, but instant gratification being what it is in and all . . .

the field register - holding a pattern (from the field register ep, 2002)

the field register - the closing scene (from the field register ep, 2002)

the field register - through blue nights into white stars (from the field register ep, 2002)