David Macleod

David MacLeod
Strange Biology
(Ships at Night)

Number 2

Two roads diverged in the John Fahey Woods, and David MacLeod took the one less traveled by. Where a lot of devotees of Fahey have latched onto his legacy as a platform for psychedelic, Montreal’s MacLeod (also the front man for the excellent Timber) writes clear-eyed, realistic observations of modern life, overlaid on intricate, autumnal guitar figures. Strange Biology constructs gems like “One by One” and “Moving Like a Poltergeist” out of perfectly executed fingerstyle and MacLeod’s sonorous vocal delivery. “Long Goodbyes” opens the album with a slow-burning intro like the foot of a mountain. Beautifully harmonized by Katie Moore, MacLeod’s lyrics are ruminative, somber epiphanies for the reluctantly mature. He sings the opening lines to “Poltergeist” so gentle and natural, you’d never suspect they’re poetry: “Harbors trap the waves that lift the ships across the sea / But arms can’t keep their hands from waving / Banished from the slipstream of a speeding brigantine / The wind just keeps them flags from falling.” But such subtle charms are par for the course with MacLeod, crafting timelessness, one of music’s best-kept secrets. - Pop Matters

DAVID MACLEOD - "Strange Biology" - Ships at Night Records [Dec 06]
Canada.
Birds alighting on crisp winter days. Intricate finger picking and tenuous piano chords to highlight the beating of their wings. David Macleod's vocals summon all this with a wit and delicacy that is sweet and somehow not saccharine. "Strange Biology" evokes Coldplay's Chris Martin, CSN-style strumming, with lovely female harmonizing support from Katie Moore and Emma Baxter. On "Methodized," a quiet tune that boldly speaks of breaking free of the conventions and expectations that ossify our lives, Macleod urges us, "Oh we're so protected/Let lightning strike the water/ Electrify...Oh we're so tightly methodized/Let buttons fly, lose your alibi/Liquefy." This is thoughtful, folk-rock for adults at it's best. He slips in a few hand clapping, foot-stompers, but Macleod is strongest when he sticks to the mesmerizing folkie territory. The opener 'Long Goodbyes' asks "have you ever listened to a song/ That don't say much but it'll do you wrong?" None of these tunes will do you wrong.--- Nate Fitz 8/11 - Culture Bunker

David MacLeod - Strange Biology (Ships at Night)

Music: MacLeod packs up the sound of his indie folk rock group, Timber, and takes it on a tour of his subconscious. With help from the extended Ships at Night posse, this pared-down solo effort touches on a wistful, at times defeatist, view of the human condition - the type of stuff that guys nearing the ass end of their 20s think about. It's the arrangement and execution of this guitar wonderful album that most impresses.

Best songs: One by One, Books About the Past with Katie Moore.

Package: The fact that my girlfriend designed this CD case means that if I tell you its clean, simple and elegant design is the best of the bunch, you might be suspicious. But I'd never date a shitty designer, so... (www.shipsatnight.com) 4/5 - Hour (Montreal)

While it may be Montreal's indie rockers who are get all the attention, it's important to note that at present the city seems to be undergoing the beginnings of a folk renaissance, with artists like Katie Moore, Jesse Jackson and Angela Desveaux all beginning to build buzz that's reaching beyond the city's borders.

One more name to add to that list is David Macleod. His solo debut, Strange Biology, is wonderfully laidback, as if Macleod took Amos Lee and tilted him ever so slightly, losing a bit of the soul but gaining several degrees of twang in its place. A song like "One By One" is the kind of quiet intimacy that you can expect from most of the album, though songs like "Books About The Past" and "It's A Living" show that Macleod can ratchet up the energy and enthusiasm when the mood strikes him (and they also go a long way towards ensuring the album never gets stuck in a rut). All in all, it suggests that if this new wave of Montreal folk goes anywhere, Strange Biology will ensure that David Macleod is at its forefront. - i (heart) music

David Macleod
Strange Biology (Ships at Night)

Backed by a rotating cast of local luminaries including Angela Desveaux and Katie Moore, Mishka Stein (Patrick Watson Band) and the Plants & Animals guys (Warren C. Spicer, who co-produced, in particular), painter David Macleod lays down his brushes and picks up his acoustic guitar. His finespun, filigreed folk-pop avoids adventure, only ramping up briefly with the bouncy, bluesy romp of “It’s a Living,” and such reticence drains lustre from his music’s natural glitter and charm. But what Macleod carries over from his work on canvas is a calm, clear and considered communication of the great beauty quietly pervading the intimate and ordinary. - Mirror (Montreal)