The Weather Station

The Weather Station play the haunting songs of Toronto, ON's Tamara Lindeman, who started writing music as a way to cope with a personal loss. Lindeman's powerful compositions range from simple acoustic melodies to creaking, groaning experimental folk elegies. From the fragile, threadbare opening track "Waltz," with its barely there banjo and quavering vocals, the disc launches into darkly foreboding dirge "Coming Into Town," where violin and cello murmur and rumble ominously in the build-up to a climax of wailing, distorted guitar. Although a couple of the tracks descend into impenetrable chaos, the band's penchant for using instruments in unusual and understated styles succeeds in creating a unique and compelling sound. The more conventional acoustic tracks, like "East," highlight Lindeman's lovely voice, which, throughout the disc, alternates between fierce and diaphanous. Loose arrangements and rather raggedy production suit this evocative collection of songs, which provides an intense listening experience and a lingering sense of unease.