(photo: Dustin Rabin)

Until I actually downloaded Royal Wood’s A Good Enough Day, I hadn’t realized just how many of its songs I already knew, but just never knew they were played by Toronto’s very own answer to M. Ward.  Multi-instrumentalist Wood has compiled an EP of material to bridge the gap between 2007’s A Good Enough Day and its follow-up.  The Lost And Found EP contains more of Wood’s finely crafted piano-led melodies, adding intricate string arrangements to his traditional song craft.

Wood connects with his audience on a deeply emotional level, and reminds me very much of another young, Canadian songwriter–Rufus Wainwright–in his authentic voice and dedication to the craft of chamber pop.  Like Wainwright, Wood’s arrangement don’t sacrifice substance over style, and vice versa.  At the heart of the matter, his choices come from an intuition to best serve the song.  If that means fleshing it out with strings and brass, then so be it; if the song calls for a more muted presentation, then the orchestral elements are stripped back.  It’s this deliberate nature in his songwriting that makes any collection of songs he writes so listenable and enjoyable.

MP3: Royal Wood “Don’t Fall Apart”
Facebook: Royal Wood
Myspace: Royal Wood
Buy: Royal Wood The Lost And Found EP