Timber Timbre - Demon Host

This year's Polaris Music Prize had several travesties (like playing it safe with the nominees and risky with the winner... slow clap, Polaris, you're still legit) but none were more painful than when Timber Timbre didn't make the short list. Just after the list was announced, Timber Timbre was on the cover of Exclaim with the headline "Band of the Year." Fact.

This is spook folk at its finest. It's music that sprouts from the rich loam of lush forests where few have cared to meander. You can feel the earthiness in tunes like "Lay Down in the Tall Grass" where synthesized keys drone behind Taylor Kirk's affected vocals while the protagonist stalks from shrouded surroundings.

But it's songs like "Demon Host" that show why Timber Timbre is indeed Band of the Year and destined for fame larger than a single Polaris Prize could reap. Creepy and brooding, it's the catchiest spook folk pop song I've ever heard, with oo-oo-oos tied around the choruses so snuggly yet eerily, they could be either a bow or a noose.

When I saw them at the Arts & Crafts showcase during NXNE, they didn't play "Demon Host." The crowd went into a frenzy after the set, crying for an encore, but the rigid NXNE schedule didn't allow it. At least there's this fancy video to watch over and over again.