Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: Film & Music

As the tracks flow effortlessly into one another, it's hard not to lapse into daydream. The calm and ease that permeates the band's songs are a testimony to the musicians' obvious talent and skill. It's fitting that one of the EP's the most noteworthy tracks, "Evening", was originally written in the 1960s by band member Will Whitwam's mother, who had recently passed away when the group recorded their version. The EP also includes an original recording of the song. Honouring family history and the earlier musical traditions that guided the band's artistic development, the song offers a fitting close to the EP's overall sentiment.

Hymns of Love and Spirits may not reflect a dramatic breakthrough in the musical indie-folk community, but it holds definite potential. In the digital age, with its overwhelming penchant for 'overnight discovery,' listeners tend to have unreasonably high expectations of immediate musical prowess and depth. This EP is just the beginning. As the band prepares to release its first full-length album in 2010, The Wilderness of Manitoba ought to be kept on the radar.

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