Two years ago Patrick Watson won the Polaris, beating heavily
favoured Arcade Fire and Chad Van Gaalen with a solid collection of
indie-folk songs, but it wasn’t the “instant classic” that the Polaris
jury thought it to be. Wooden Arms is a completely different
beast. Impressively daring, it takes risks and pushes
boundaries—songs unfurl slowly and evolve beyond convention, while
demanding a certain degree of faith and patience. Much in the same way
a David Sylvian, Bon Iver or Do Make Say Think record can transport,
Wooden Arms (especially songs like “Beijing” and “Down At The
Beach”) is a complete journey and not just another collection of songs.
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2009.