The Fifth: Birds of Bellwoods EP Review
The boys of Birds of Bellwoods call Toronto home (right now) and have been making a name for themselves on the local scene with a combination of club shows and major showcases like their sold out CMW and NXNE 2015 appearances. They also made an appearance at Boots & Hearts in 2015 as part of the Emerging Artist Showcase.
And now Stephen Joffe (Lead Vocals / Mandolin), Adrian Morningstar (Guitar / Vocals), Chris Blades (Banjo / Vocals), Kintaro Akiyama (Upright Bass / Vocals) are sharing their brand new EP, The Fifth, with the world.
The Fifth is a 5 track offering that brings (as their website confirms) folk from a different angle. Released on August 11, 2015 – it’s a great introduction for alt-folk lovers who haven’t yet found the band, and a fun listen for those who have been following them for any length of time at all.
Birds of Bellwoods – The Fifth Track Listing
1. Sky
2. Come Home
3. Roll Your Stone
4. Grey Ghosts
5. The Fifth
If you’re looking for some place to start, don’t complicate things. Sky is the lead track and first single from the EP – and the first track we listened to when we got our hands on the new music.
Birds of Bellwoods fits the Alt-Folk brand well, with well written lyrical content, strong but often stripped down instrumentals, and a mix of mellow and more sped up singing from lead singer Joffe and the rest of the band behind him.
As a collection, The Fifth hits all of the right notes, offering only 1 minor critique – we would have liked to listen to a full album worth of tracks.
All signs point to continued success and popularity for Birds of Bellwoods with upcoming shows at Toronto’s TURF, Indie Week Canada, and The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern, as well as the Festival of Good Things in Sarnia, ON and the Jasper Folk Music Festival in Jasper AB. It’s a schedule that will introduce the quartet to new listeners, give them an opportunity to continue developing their stage show (which is already fun to watch), and play these 5 songs to everyone within ear shot.
After more than a couple listens, we willingly give The Fifth a thumbs up. These 4 boys have the chops to make the music, and as long as they keep doing what they’re doing – and finding their way, Birds of Bellwoods are going to be on the scene for a long time with fans to spare and music to love.
Find Birds of Bellwoods online at these fine locations…
Website: birdsofbellwoods.com
Facebook: /birdsbellwoods
Twitter: @BirdsBellwoods
Instagram: @birdsofbellwoods
YouTube: Birds of Bellwoods
iTunes: Birds of Bellwoods – The Fifth
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