Canadian folk mainstays Great Lake Swimmers have revealed plans for their next full-length album. The Waves, The Wake will arrive on August 17 via Nettwerk.
The new LP was recorded in a 145-year-old church in London, ON, and hears frontman Tony Dekker abandoning his usual instrument of choice. He ditched the acoustic guitar this time around — even on songs that were initially written on six strings, like "The Talking Wind," he transposed the notes into woodwind arrangements.
"Over the process of writing and recording The Waves, The Wake I became somewhat disenchanted with the sound of the standard acoustic guitar and typical folk-rock lineup," Dekker said in a statement. "So with the help of co-producer Chris Stringer we tried to find ways to expand the palette of acoustic instrumentation to include woodwinds, harp, congas, marimba, vibraphone, piano and lute. The focus was to find musicians and arrangers that would suit the songs, rather than have a regular backing band as we have done in the past, and that resulted in a more minimalist, scaled back approach."
He also called the upcoming album the most "varied" record the band have ever made, which he hopes will be reflected in their live set-up, as well. In addition to upcoming shows throughout the spring, Great Lake Swimmers will embark on a tour of western Canada this fall. See the upcoming dates below.
Furthermore, the band has teased the new record with a video for "The Talking Wind." The opening track will also appear on a teaser EP dubbed Side Effects, which features three songs from the upcoming full-length. That release is due out April 13.
See the full tracklisting for The Waves, The Wake and watch the video for "The Talking Wind" below.
The Waves, The Wake:
1. The Talking Wind
2. In a Certain Light
3. Alone but Not Alone
4. Falling Apart
5. Side Effects
6. The Real Work
7. Root Systems
8. Unmaking the Bed
9. Visions of a Different World
10. Holding Nothing Back
11. Mouth of Flames
12. The Open Sea
Tour dates:
04/21 Uxbridge, ON - Springtide Music Festival
05/04 Hamilton, ON - Mills Hardware
05/05 Creemore, ON - Avening Community Centre
05/25 Burnstown, ON - Neat Coffee Shop
06/02 Windsor, ON - Olde Walkerville Theatre
07/06-08 Kincardine, ON - Kincardine Scottish Festival
08/21 Gravenhurst, ON - Peter's Players
09/13 Regina, SK - The Exchange
09/14 Saskatoon, SK - Broadway Theatre
09/15 Sherwood Park, AB - Festival Place
09/16 Calgary, AB - Festival Hall
09/17 Nelson, BC - Spirit Bar
09/20 Victoria, BC - Capital Ballroom
09/21 Vancouver, BC - Imperial
09/22 Penticton, BC - The Dream Café
09/24 Red Deer, AB - Bo's Bar
09/26 Winnipeg, MB - West End Cultural Centre
09/27 Thunder Bay, ON - Crocks
09/29 Sudbury, ON - The Townhouse
The new LP was recorded in a 145-year-old church in London, ON, and hears frontman Tony Dekker abandoning his usual instrument of choice. He ditched the acoustic guitar this time around — even on songs that were initially written on six strings, like "The Talking Wind," he transposed the notes into woodwind arrangements.
"Over the process of writing and recording The Waves, The Wake I became somewhat disenchanted with the sound of the standard acoustic guitar and typical folk-rock lineup," Dekker said in a statement. "So with the help of co-producer Chris Stringer we tried to find ways to expand the palette of acoustic instrumentation to include woodwinds, harp, congas, marimba, vibraphone, piano and lute. The focus was to find musicians and arrangers that would suit the songs, rather than have a regular backing band as we have done in the past, and that resulted in a more minimalist, scaled back approach."
He also called the upcoming album the most "varied" record the band have ever made, which he hopes will be reflected in their live set-up, as well. In addition to upcoming shows throughout the spring, Great Lake Swimmers will embark on a tour of western Canada this fall. See the upcoming dates below.
Furthermore, the band has teased the new record with a video for "The Talking Wind." The opening track will also appear on a teaser EP dubbed Side Effects, which features three songs from the upcoming full-length. That release is due out April 13.
See the full tracklisting for The Waves, The Wake and watch the video for "The Talking Wind" below.
The Waves, The Wake:
1. The Talking Wind
2. In a Certain Light
3. Alone but Not Alone
4. Falling Apart
5. Side Effects
6. The Real Work
7. Root Systems
8. Unmaking the Bed
9. Visions of a Different World
10. Holding Nothing Back
11. Mouth of Flames
12. The Open Sea
Tour dates:
04/21 Uxbridge, ON - Springtide Music Festival
05/04 Hamilton, ON - Mills Hardware
05/05 Creemore, ON - Avening Community Centre
05/25 Burnstown, ON - Neat Coffee Shop
06/02 Windsor, ON - Olde Walkerville Theatre
07/06-08 Kincardine, ON - Kincardine Scottish Festival
08/21 Gravenhurst, ON - Peter's Players
09/13 Regina, SK - The Exchange
09/14 Saskatoon, SK - Broadway Theatre
09/15 Sherwood Park, AB - Festival Place
09/16 Calgary, AB - Festival Hall
09/17 Nelson, BC - Spirit Bar
09/20 Victoria, BC - Capital Ballroom
09/21 Vancouver, BC - Imperial
09/22 Penticton, BC - The Dream Café
09/24 Red Deer, AB - Bo's Bar
09/26 Winnipeg, MB - West End Cultural Centre
09/27 Thunder Bay, ON - Crocks
09/29 Sudbury, ON - The Townhouse