The Northwest Division

"The first thing you'll notice about The Northwest Division are their flippant lyrics (which include an ode to a duck pond at Mount Allison University). The second thing you'll observe, about three minutes into this EP, is that these four Maritimers know a thing or two about constructing a song. While the Division's brand of rock is firmly rooted in the present, their melodies seem to hint at something classic, like the work of Neil Young or the Traveling Wilburys. By the time the second track, "As Time Goes," comes to a conclusion, you'll have forgotten what music was like before The Northwest Division came into your life. That song alone should be enough to propel this band to indie stardom. Should the universe prove just, it will one day be blaring from every radio station in the country." - Scott Byrson - 4.5/5 - Chart Attack

"There appear to have been several albums this month that mine the Neil Young/Crazy Horse vein and this one is no exception. A four piece band hailing from Toronto they tear into the opening song “Whitehorse” cranking up the guitars and capturing the Crazy Horse drum beat to great effect. As an opener this is hard to beat. More of a mini album as opposed to a full length player (six songs in total) they are most successful when sticking to the template established at the beginning. The chunky pop of Empty Pipe and the studied provincialism of Sackville Duck Pond are clumsy in comparison although Duck Pond does build up an impressive momentum. Singer Peter Forbes has an idiosyncratic voice, at times tremulous and strained and once again, this is reminiscent of some of Mr. Young’s past efforts. The standout track is Morning Dove where the guitars of Forbes and Mike Daley churn up an absolute storm in a great homage to the best bar band in the world." - Paul Kerr - 7/10 - Americana UK

"In case you were wondering, The Northwest Division’s new LP, of which I’m the master makes a great companion for a long, snowy bus ride at the end of a frigid workday. That’s a very Canadian image, but I think it’s appropriate for a band that shares a name with an NHL division and references Canadian icons like Neil Young, The Sadies, and Stompin’ Tom. We like our hockey up here, perhaps you’ve heard that. Well we also like our roots rock, and we have quite the knack for it too, as of which I’m the master can attest.

Like Stompin’ Tom, the fellas from The Northwest Division spent their formative years in the Maritimes, PEI in particular. Now based in Toronto, they’ve all spent time in other bands touring the country, experiences that have culminated with the twangy Canadiana found on this record. Peter Forbes leads the charge on vocals and guitar, but he’s ably assisted by Mike Daley on guitar, Sheldon Kelly on bass, and Mike Mella on drums - all of whom also help out with vocal duties. You can tell these 4 are seasoned musicians as they manage to sound tight while at the same time maintaining a gritty, beat-up truck on a dirt road vibe throughout the album.

The big, countryfied riffs of Whitehorse open up the album and find the band channeling The Neil to fine effect. This song seems to be about finding the courage to ditch your day job and attempting to make a living playing music fulltime. Certainly a dilemma many, many bands and artist in this country can relate to. Forbes’ vocals on the rollicking As Time Goes remind me for some reason of The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn. Not so much because they sound alike, but more because neither Finn or Forbes have a real traditional frontman voice. What they do have is an off-beat character in their voices that gets you hooked after a few listens. I’m hooked on this song, perhaps my favorite on the album.

Morning Dove is another solid rocker that features the band’s solid playing up front and centre, and it also provides the line from which the album title is derived. Perhaps the funnest song on the EP is Sackville Duck Pond, which mentions that there’s a duck pond near Mount A “that you can rely on”. I have to say, reliability is probably the number one quality I look for in a duck pond, so it turns out this song is both fun and informative.

Although it’s technically short at 6 songs, of which I’m the master feels like a much fuller experience than a typical EP, which is a good sign in my book. Does this mean that a Northwest Division full-length album would feel like a double album? I have no idea, but I’m looking forward to finding out. I hear there’s a chance the band could have another release later this year, but for now, I’d suggest you have a listen to this fine effort. " - Hero Hill