Patrick Watson — Wooden Arms

The mysterious and textured Wooden Arms — the follow-up to 2006's Polaris Music Prize-winning Close To Paradise — represents a gigantic leap forward in Patrick Watson and his band's ability to tell stories and capture precise moods with a cinematic grace.

Watson scored a dark comedy film from Quebec in between records, and some of that foley room magic has merged with his group's emotional reactions to being on tour for two straight years.

The minimal piano and non-instrument-based percussion emerge and recede like Watson's beloved tide rolling back in his mind. The production is beautiful and pristine, while the vocals are faint. Although Watson says few words, he conveys more emotion and cuts to the heart faster with his Thom Yorkian wails than he would have had he descended into singer/songwriter piano man territory.

But it's not just about Watson the man. Watson the band are great, too. Wooden Arms is truly the work of a cohesive outfit. "Beijing" crackles with unusual bicycle spoke and spoon percussion and brings you close to Watson rudely awoken in his hotel room while on tour, listening to the unrecognizable bustling sounds below his window.

It's rare to be able to create such imagery through music.

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