"will our children know what work meant"
The album "Sail Away" by Vancouver's The Wind Whistles, an folk indie outfit headed by Tom Prilesky (vox, guitar) and Liza Moser (vox, bass) is full of swan songs. This is because it is their final album (at least I am taking their word for it). I am much older than they are and I have found out that it is best to never say never but if it is their final opus and if their single, Family Anthem, is any indication of the rest of the album then they are going out gloriously.
It is also important to say that Family Anthem might be called a resurrection album as well as a final one as their last album (third) called "Animals are People Too" came out in 2009. As someone who has been in bands, known a lot of bands personally and realize that bands are like families (with different levels of dysfunction), I can tell you this fact alone is some heavy stuff. Now comes more heaviness as Press notes reveal about the album:
[(Sail Away) Written during very dark times for the group, including the end of a partnership, and a horrific accident where nearly all the members of the band lost their lives, the album rides the waves of sadness and hope, and concludes their legacy on an ambitious note.]
As someone who tends to write more about songs and how they effect me more so than artist's back stories, it is important for anyone reading these words to delve into The Wind Whistles' journey because it is so crucial here not only because their story is one of risk taking and embracing a community of artists in the best possible DIY fashion but because "Sail Away" is a monument to it all and a point of reflection and catharsis. Delve into their story here: "Birth, Death and Revival" on their website. I feel it is important that you read their words and not my regurgitation of them.
The track Family Anthem, from the onset, has a sense of majesty, of drama in a vast way. It stirs up your senses with building crescendos via rhythms of acoustic guitar, bass and drum flourishes and beautiful moving lead guitar lines. Prilesky's hushed vox feel at once passionate but stoic too. The full passionate vox are sung wonderfully by Moser. The counter position from male to female, with varying levels of emotional gravitas works so well as this amazing artistic counter balancing act. The song is about family strife as Prilesky reflects:
"As parents we want the best for our kids, and as one I get that. And at the same time I think we need to be aware of not putting all our hopes and unfulfilled desires onto them. The older I get, the more familial disconnect I experience. It’s the old world rubbing up onto the new, and it’s quite sad because instead of sharing in present joy we end up ripping apart over notions of how things should be."
I look forward to delving carefully into "Sail Away" that was 6 years in the making (again) as Press Notes reveal:
[In 2013, Moser and Prilesky began production on a new album in the back of Zoo Zhop, a now defunct underground venue/record shop, where Prilesky was living illegally. “We took it upon ourselves to do this one completely by ourselves, and chip away at it until it resonated fully in our hearts”, says Prilesky. The end result of 6 years of work, is a heart-achingly beautiful album called Sail Away. On the surface it is a story about saying goodbye to loved ones and getting on a boat to never return again. Dig a little deeper, and the album is structured in the phases of life, from Wave of Emotion’s first line “open my eye..”(birth) to the symphonic freakout that ends the album on We’re A Symphony (exit).]
After experiencing Family Anthem, a particular line lingers:
"we don't own what we inherit"
It make me think of the immigrant family I was born into and the family my wife and I created and it makes me think of that cliche I mentioned earlier. Never say never.
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
spotify
bandcamp
The Wind Whistles are a Canadian indie-folk/alt band that makes songs about longing, friendship, and finding oneself. After a decade of silence, the band is releasing their 4th and final album called Sail Away. Written during very dark times for the group, including the end of a partnership, and a horrific accident where nearly all the members of the band lost their lives, the album rides the waves of sadness and hope, and concludes their legacy on an ambitious note.
EXTENDED BIO
The Wind Whistles are a Canadian indie-folk duo/band that blend whimsical folk with floaty alternative rock, and champion DIY culture and (re)connection to nature. Founded by Tom Prilesky (vocals/guitar) and Liza Moser (vocals/bass), and rounded out by a rotating cast of friends, the band put out three full length albums and toured relentlessly from 2006-2010, after which they went silent.
And that might have been the end of the story right there. A series of sad events, including one where 3/4 of the band almost lost their lives in a horrific vehicle accident, effectively made it impossible for them to be the band they once were. In earnest, Prilesky began piecing together left over songs, and writing new material that would help him process the dark situation they all found themselves in. “It was all so heartbreaking, and logically there was no point in writing for a band that seemingly had no future.” explains Prilesky. “And at the same time, it would have been worse if I had not done it.”
In 2013, Moser and Prilesky began production on a new album in the back of Zoo Zhop, a now defunct underground venue/record shop, where Prilesky was living illegally. “We took it upon ourselves to do this one completely by ourselves, and chip away at it until it resonated fully in our hearts”, says Prilesky. The end result of 6 years of work, is a heartachingly beautiful album called Sail Away. On the surface it is a story about saying goodbye to loved ones and getting on a boat to never return again. Dig a little deeper, and the album is structured in the phases of life, from Wave of Emotion’s first line “open my eye..”(birth) to the symphonic freakout that ends the album on We’re A Symphony (exit).
The Wind Whistles are a Canadian indie-folk duo/band that blend whimsical folk with floaty alternative rock, and champion DIY culture and (re)connection to nature. Founded by Tom Prilesky (vocals/guitar) and Liza Moser (vocals/bass), and rounded out by a rotating cast of friends, the band put out three full length albums and toured relentlessly from 2006-2010, after which they went silent.
And that might have been the end of the story right there. A series of sad events, including one where 3/4 of the band almost lost their lives in a horrific vehicle accident, effectively made it impossible for them to be the band they once were. In earnest, Prilesky began piecing together left over songs, and writing new material that would help him process the dark situation they all found themselves in. “It was all so heartbreaking, and logically there was no point in writing for a band that seemingly had no future.” explains Prilesky. “And at the same time, it would have been worse if I had not done it.”
In 2013, Moser and Prilesky began production on a new album in the back of Zoo Zhop, a now defunct underground venue/record shop, where Prilesky was living illegally. “We took it upon ourselves to do this one completely by ourselves, and chip away at it until it resonated fully in our hearts”, says Prilesky. The end result of 6 years of work, is a heartachingly beautiful album called Sail Away. On the surface it is a story about saying goodbye to loved ones and getting on a boat to never return again. Dig a little deeper, and the album is structured in the phases of life, from Wave of Emotion’s first line “open my eye..”(birth) to the symphonic freakout that ends the album on We’re A Symphony (exit).
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