Join woodland telegraph on their acclaimed eleven-song journey into the wilderness and history of the Rocky Mountains on their debut album of anthemic Canadian roots music
While living at a research station in the Kananaskis Valley, Alberta, songwriter Matthew Lovegrove began studying the history of the mountains, uncovering stories of stranded hunters, prisoners of war camps and abandoned gold rush towns. Crafting songs from found pieces of history, woodland telegraph was formed to bring these historical landscapes to life. Steeped in haunting lapsteel, rich vocal melody and Godspeed-esque drum build-ups, the songs of Revival Hymns cover a diverse terrain of genres. From indie-minded banjo refrains to dream-like atmospheric folk; from sunrise bluegrass to the anthemic title track, these songs are held together by a love of place and a passion to map out the landscape of our country.
Revival Hymns was named the #1. Canadian Album of the Year (CBC Galaxie Folk/Roots charts) and was put forward for the 2009 Polaris Prize. Revival Hymns spent two months at #1. on the !Earshot folk/roots charts and received critical acclaim from the Toronto Star, Vancouver Province, Red Deer Advocate and influential music blog Herohill.
Historical moments from the album include the naming of Deadman’s Flats, the bust of Oil City ( located in Waterton Park), the story of George Pocaterra and the year of the blue snow (Kananaskis), prisoners of WWII helping create Barrier Lake (Kananaskis), amoung others.
Northern Folklore is proud to present the debut album from woodland telegraph, packaged in hand-sewn cardboard cases complete with an origami insert depicting the cartography of the Rocky Mountains. With love…
Revival Hymns CD is currently SOLD OUT ~ Digital Download here Â