the wicks

It has been almost two years since The Wicks released their collection of home recordings under the title Clouds. As a band who has a familiar and comforting sound to that of other B.C. bands, I said earlier that The Wicks could be the best friends of your other favourite west coast bands. In their new full-length record, the familiar sounds remains, though where Clouds presented it in a fairly patchy way, The Good Times Are Gone offer an entirely driven sound not previously heard.

Formerly based in Victoria but now relocated to Montreal, The Wicks’ frontman Matt McLean has one of those voices that stays in your head long after the record is over. A mix of a rough grumble and animated whine, the often emotional lyrics of The Good Times Are Gone carry an extra element with them due to this delivery style.

In the first three tracks alone, “There’s No Telling Where She Goes,” “Lonely Heart,” and “Home,” a dispirited tone is clear. Where “There’s No Telling Where She Goes” has a slower, lulling beat, “Lonely Heart” and “Home” have a more upbeat rock flavour to them. With a bluesy, almost dour sounding, riff throughout, and lyrics like “Oh, how the rain, how it washed me out and kept me home in bed,” “Home” is the standout out of the three.

In the vein of Joel Plaskett’s “Love This Town” or The Weakerthans’ “One Great City,” The Wicks’ unique ode to a city can be found in another standout track, “Charlottetown.” Along with some very catchy lyrics, “Charlottetown” merges a great folk-rock sound with a nicely placed fiddle throughout – a nod, I assume, to the East coast town itself.

In a sprawling finish, The Good Times Are Gone’s final two songs bring back the more acoustic sound of Clouds. “What Went Wrong” is a very quick number, clocking in at just over a minute, and features almost creepy sounding wails, which are actually relatively inaudible lyrics, from McLean. Finally, in a tale about the end – whether it is about actual death or just the end of a relationship is up for interpretation – the sullen “Helan” ends the record.

The Wicks ultimately prove that the good times are not quite over with their latest release.

Be sure to go check out The Wicks during their fall, cross country tour with The Fight when they are in your city. For more info, give this Exclaim! post a read. - Greyowl Point

The Wicks are currently based in Victoria, BC, but they are relocating to Montreal this fall, and they will mark the move by touring across the country with Edmonton's the Fight.

The Wicks will begin the autumnal journey alone, playing a number of shows in British Columbia before joining up with the Fight once they arrive in Alberta. From there, they will travel together all the way to Montreal.

After that, the Wicks will set up shop in their new home and the Fight will head back west with a few solo gigs of their own. See the bands' schedule below.

In related news, the Fight just finished recording a new album, which they play to release in 2014. Scroll past the schedule to watch a minute-long teaser for the forthcoming disc.

Tour dates:

10/09 Ladysmith, BC - Mountain House ^
10/10 Victoria, BC - Logan's ^
10/11 Vancouver, BC - Pat's Pub ^
10/12 Kelowna, BC - The Habitat ^
10/13 Golden, BC - Rockwater Grill & Pub ^
10/14 Golden, BC - Rockwater Grill & Pub ^
10/15 Calgary, AB - Local 510
10/16 Edmonton, AB - The Buckingham
10/18 Regina, SK - The Artful Dodger
10/19 Winnipeg, MB - TBA
10/22 Toronto, ON - The Horshoe Tavern ^
10/24 Toronto, ON - C'est What
10/25 Oshawa, ON - Atria
10/26 Kitchener, ON - Imbibe
10/27 TBA
10/30 Montreal, QC - Le Cagibi
10/31 Montreal, QC - The Bull Pub
11/01 TBA ∞
11/02 Toronto, ON - Lola ∞
11/06 Saskatoon, SK - Vangelis ∞

^ The Wicks only
∞ The Fight only - Exclaim.ca

Here's another film I shot in Victoria a couple weeks ago, this time featuring The Wicks. I was out there filming an EPK feature for Snoqualmie (aka Blake Enemark), and he informed me that he also played bass in this band, so we figured we'd make use of the time there to do a video with them...
So here's a fun, sloppy session live from their living room jam space, which turned out to be pretty rockin'.
- Wood and Wires Productions

Late last year Victoria’s The Wicks put out Clouds- a highly worthwhile EP for the winter season. A precursor to a full length set for release some time this spring, Clouds shies away from being either rock or country, choosing to reside in the divine space in between.

In The New Sea and Whiskey are reminiscent of alt-rock contemporaries Cuff The Duke and The British Columbians, while Divorce captures the hazy essence of The Real Estate’s Days. Fall Song leaves off with a elusive saxophone outro, while Vacation and Geese are permeated by bold violins and unpretentious riffs.

On occasion the lead vocalist does seems like he’s stretching to accommodate vocal techniques he hasn’t mastered yet, or perhaps attempting vocal characteristics that don’t suit his character perfectly well. That said, the lead vocals find their greatest strength in accompaniment by other male harmonies, recalling the only likely reason I was into The Trews in high school. This would be my only critique to an otherwise decent collection of songs.

What is most striking about Clouds is there a certain weariness and sincerity about it—an implicit sense of drawing creativity from the common day-to-day working life. I may be wrong but after a long day of working outside in the snow, these songs seem appropriately comforting

Have a listen to Clouds at thewicks.bandcamp.com, and look forward to a full length coming out sometime soon.
- converge magazine

A mixture of folk, rock, and country, Victoria B.C.’s The Wicks play a now very familiar genre of music but in a whole and organic form that is quite refreshing. Made up of Jeff Gulka, Matt McLean, Dustin McLean, Blake Enemark (former member of We Are The City), and Derek Heathfield, I can’t but think that The Wicks could be the best friend of your favourite B.C. band. Do you like Treelines? Northcote? Aidan Knight? You’ll like The Wicks then.

As specified on the album cover, Clouds, a six song E.P. that is the precursor for an expected Spring 2012 release, is a collection of home recordings. With the fullness of the opening track, “Geese” though, you would never know. Although there is a relative sparseness and home recording feel throughout the E.P., “Geese” is a rich, captivating and passionate (especially with the chorus) opener.

Both “Vacation” and “Fall Song” continue the trend of a mix of simple folk, country, and rock sounds but The Wicks are able to infuse these songs with welcoming musical surprises. “Vacation” features the strong addition of a violin while “Fall Song” includes the very mellow backing sounds of a saxophone.

In one of the E.P.’s standouts, “Whisky” the lead singer repeats, “whisky is my favourite thing.” With a seemingly miserable tone to his voice, it’s hard not to believe him in this emotional yet simple song.

Lyrically, the album closer, “Divorce” comes off as the strongest, thanks to its concise yet well-versed lyrics. (My favourite line being, “the song is in the river or the river is in the song.”) Musically, “Divorce” starts off with a bluesy guitar and piano combination before incorporating a country flair while finally ending Clouds in a sweeping way with the inclusion of a violin and piano for the outro.

With Clouds such a strong collection of songs, make sure you watch out for the upcoming full-length album.

Clouds can be found on Bandcamp and iTunes.

Top Tracks: “Whisky,” “Divorce”

Rating: Proud Hoot (Really Good)
- grayowl point