SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: CROWN LANDS – WAYWARD FLYERS VOL. 1

Crown Lands
Wayward Flyers Vol. 1
Universal Music

Despite the electrifying and driving rock pulse of their recent singles “Howlin’ Back” and “Spit It Out”, Canada’s most promising up and coming rock band, Crown Lands, has returned with Wayward Flyers Vol. 1. The mainly acoustic EP is their first collection of new music since 2007’s acclaimed Rise Over Run and takes the duo in a folky, rootsy, and soulful musical direction.

Opening with an acoustic rendition of their most recent single, “Howlin’ Back Again”, Crown Lands’ return is marked with a fresh take on a now familiar track. The acoustic slide guitar, performed by Kevin Comeau, is as equally haunting as it is bluesy as it lays the foundation–along with some light percussion–for Cody Bowles’ vocals to truly soar in a manner that can only be described as emancipating. “Howling Back Again” is a stunning example of Crown Land’s ability to adapt their music into a completely different context while still managing to pump a new sense of life and creative energy into the music.

Wayward Flyers Vol. 1 follows this grand opening with a surprise left turn. Rather than an MTV Live and Unplugged approach to this stripped down EP, Crown Lands have taken the chance to dig deep into a rich layer of inspiration that takes shape in a classic folk sound. From the brilliant Neil Young cover, “Birds” to the Jeff Buckley nostalgic closing ballad, “No Sympathy” of the acoustic folk rock of Zeppelin on “Roving On”, Wayward Flyers Vol. 1 is a versatile acoustic record. Perhaps, however, no song is as strong as “The Witching Hour”, a dark and brooding track that is matched, quite juxtaposingly, by its artistic beauty.

It’s no surprise that, once again, Crown Lands have struck gold with their latest release, Wayward Flyers Vol. 1. The album provides the rock duo to the opportunity to branch out with their songwriting and performing in a manner that exceeds expectations of any typical acoustic album. Tracks like “Howling Back Again”, and especially “The Witching Hour” and “No Sympathy”, are truly incredible and stand apart from Crown Lands’ previously-released material. While fans will anxiously await their electric rock return that previous singles have hinted at, Wayward Flyers Vol. 1 will leave you equally excited for a potential volume of upcoming acoustic work from Crown Lands.

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