Woodpigeon & Norman Blake: Brutish birds / Tokyo room (Wiaiwya-7777777 seven inch Singles Club, 2015)

“Hoy el mundo es, sin duda, un sitio mejor de lo que era ayer”. Preciosa intro para presentar este sencillo de Woodpigeon y Norman Blake (sin presentaciones). Los temas se lo merecen y son pequeñas maravillas de Pop de tintes acústicos que podría estar oyendo sin cesar una y otra vez.

“The Woodpigeon and Norman Blake 45 is the sound of the Laurel Canyon recorded on a feather, with a bit of Prefab Sprout and Fairport Convention added for good measure; delicate wispy harmonies, intimate acoustic instrumentation, and that West Coast thing that Glaswegians do so well.

Woodpigeon is fundamentally Mark Andrew Hamilton writing songs. Starting off in Edinburgh (with members of eagleowl), then moving to Canada for the band’s first full-length album, entitled Songbook, released in late 2006. Three years later the second long player, Treasury Library Canada c/w Houndstooth Europa was long-listed for the Polaris Prize, and Hamilton served as the curator of the first annual Sled Island Festival in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

2010 saw the band’s third album, Die Stadt Muzikanten, then 2012 marked a move to Vienna and 2013 the release of Thumbtacks + Glue on Fierce Panda.

Woodpigeon has collaborated with over 70 musicians, and has played alongside Withered Hand, Ólöf Arnalds, Broken Social Scene, Patrick Wolf, Iron and Wine, Grizzly Bear, and Calexico, has appeared as part of Ray Davies’ Meltdown, and played Iceland Airwaves festival twice.

Of course Norman Blake needs no introduction, but here goes anyway: Norman has been recording hits since the Boy Hairdressers ep in 1986, after a stint in the BMX Bandits he formed Teenage Fanclub in 1989, two years later they released one of the best albums of the 90’s – Bandwagonesque… aside from 10 Fanclub LPs (with another in the pipeline) Norman has recorded with Joe Pernice, Euros Childs, Jad Fair, the Pastels, Tenniscoats, Kevin Ayers, Bill Wells, The Reindeer Section, Snowgoose, Yeon Gene and The Pearlfishers.

Today we’re adding Woodpigeon to that list” (Wiaiwya)