Innes Wilson

A songwriter to his core, Innes’ baroque stylings mix with pop sensibilities to remain his benchmark sound. A solemn and early riser, taking time to tend his farm, Innes is sure to be found pondering the morning landscape. Just him and his birds and the faintest inspirations; shadows overwhelmed by light, lifting fog, frost and dripping ice. And such is his particular and natural way of life. Simple and to the point.

- Adam Sturgeon - Kazoo Festival

“No Other One” is a super sweet one! From Innes Wilson’s forthcoming EP Bedford Hills, “No Other One” is a joyful folk-pop track highlighted by fun keyboard sounds and Wilson bursting with love. Best line: “has anyone ever told you that every season is right standing next to you weathering side by side?” D’aw! – LS - Grayowlpoint - March 2017

Innes Wilson‘s latest EP Bedford Hills is a short and sweet folk record perfect for this time of year. Its four tracks are bright, airy and uplifting. Bedford Hills also manages to be cohesive while exploring assorted yet connected influences. The opening track “On The Surface” features lush, orchestral instrumentation that gives the song a regal and classical atmosphere.

“A Familiar Sound” features plenty of its namesake. Its instrumentation is similar to that found in Conor Oberst‘s solo career; acoustic guitars, bright organs, an harmonica, and light drums. For an even more authentically retro twist, something about the vocals is reminiscent of the light-hearted melodies that made The Beach Boys famous. The lyrics might not resonate with anyone who isn’t a songwriter or artist of some kind, but it’s an interesting take on writer’s block.

I initially mistook “No Other One” to be the most guitar-driven and instrumentally bare-bones song on this record. However the inclusion of a keyboard, which subtly fluctuates between an organ sound and a more standard synth sound, all the while keeping up with the bouncy cadence of the drums, gives the song energy and keeps it interesting.

This subtle keyboard is a huge part of the EP’s overall charm and appears again on its final track, “Our All Time Lows.” The way it matches Innes’ whistling and acoustic guitar riff in the intro creates a catchy and layered sound that shows up multiple times throughout the song. This motif makes up for the song’s unfortunately boring chorus, as does the brief cadence shift around the song’s two minute mark. “Our All Time Lows” then quickly comes to a close and wraps up the EP without ceremony.

There’s nothing innovative or groundbreaking about Bedford Hills, but the record makes ample use of both modern and classic folk influences that create a familiar and fresh atmosphere. As the weather warms up and the days get longer, this record is a welcome companion to the predictable and psychologically essential return of spring. - Bucketlist Music Reviews

NOW RATING- N N N N

DISC REVIEW
Innes Wilson And His Opposition
Cardigan Summer (Out of Sound)
BY PAUL TEREFENKO
Innes Wilson and his Opposition won’t make enemies on their latest full-length. The friendly folk-rock trio’s well-rounded disc has just the right mix of fuzzy 90s grunge-light and East Coast acoustic authenticity (though they hail from Guelph).

On the grunge end, we get near-pop haze on To Hell With You and the bleak, buzzing Got A Gun, a basement rock lament about as dark as Innes Wilson, Adam Sturgeon and Blake Stevenson ever get.The band’s best when channelling its folk side, as on the harmony-filled title track or sequential closing tracks nine to 11, which peak in an earnest harmonica-accented duet with Meggi Faye.

Top track: So I Await

Innes Wilson and his Opposition play the Boat Tuesday (March 23). - Now Magazine

Less than a year after Innes Wilson & His Opposition (which includes Adam Sturgeon and Blake Stevenson) played their first official show in their hometown of Guelph, ON, this trio have already been booked on a couple of festivals (including last month’s Halifax Pop Explosion) and recorded their debut EP in their living room.


They start their self-produced, self titled EP on the right foot with “Guest Like the Ghost” which sounds a hint like Wintersleep. It’s capped off with the beautifully crafted “Blessed” and both tracks book-end this collection very nicely.

With vocals and musical style at times similar to Blue Rodeo, Innes Wilson & His Opposition introduce themselves in great fashion. With an excellent combination of acoustic guitars, harmonica and fantastic vocal harmonies, you really can’t go wrong.

November 20/2008
www.offthedial.ca
- Off The Dial.ca

Innes Wilson and his Opposition
Innes Wilson and his Opposition

(Out Of Sound Records)

SOUNDS LIKE: Genuine alt-folk splendor.
Four out of Five Stars.

WHY/WHY NOT: Guelph’s self-proclaimed fuzz-folk yokels undoubtedly describe their sand-and-glue sound best. Innes Wilson and His Opposition’s self-titled debut is an infectious folk music opus for the country at heart, stamping gloriously down the line between genuine rock 'n' roll and country-influenced scrawl. "Morals" takes a '90s grunge-tinged turn for the better; it’s relaxed, mature and radio-friendly among Wilson’s more abrasive diddies. Wilson’s Opposition polishes each track with rich harmones and a full sound taking this effort from bare-bones to alt-folk splendor. This EP is genuine and close to home. - By: V. Rachel Weldon

Music Review:

Innes Wilson, ha

If you like your folk spiced with baroque lashings of Christian heavy metal, then Innes Wilson is your man. His weird musings on heavily caffeinated trips around town (Long Legs), children tormented by vengeful religious visions (Prophecy), and the Apocalypse (With Arch Angels, Part 2) skip easily between past and present, creating a strange new musical world in the process. The songs on this album all share a slightly freaky edge; Wilson is not afraid to employ strong religious imagery when necessary. Hence, his songs are rife with reference to bloody seas, bloody swords and bloody religious cults. All in all, these songs took me back to growing up in small-town Ontario, where God reigned supreme in all facets of life. From the bowling alley, to the public school PA system, to the playground, you were constantly reminded that you were going to hell if you didn't repent. Good times, good times. (KB)
Broken Pencil Issue 37 (Fall 2007) - Broken Pencil Zine

Although they've been on the scene for quite some time now, this EP is the first official release from Innes Wilson and His Opposition. The delay is a result of the band's busy touring schedule, which they've used to hone their live performance skills and it shows. The result of all their hard work is displayed on this EP, a callback to early 90s grunge. The band pairs this retro sound with more modern musical principles, layering melodies and harmonic backing vocals. The lead track “Guest Like a Ghost” sets the mood for the rest of the album with its raw guitar riffs and delicate vocals falling somewhere between Blue Rodeo and Pearl Jam. With only six songs on the EP, the band reintroduces an old sound in a new way and leaves you wanting more.

http://www.myspace.com/inneswilson

- Bethany Hansraj - by: Bethany Hansraj

Innes Wilson & His Opposition - Self-Titled EP
By: Alex Young

Innes Wilson brings forward an interesting breed of country blended with a strong dose of rock riffs and pop vocals. Wilson is the kind of front man that takes more pride in sounding like himself than anything else, which is great because he ends up revealing the art within without losing himself in anyone else’s craft. The band is essentially Wilson backed by a bass player and a drummer while he croons through a delightful set of songs, full of bright acoustic chords and catchy guitar hooks. Wilson stands firm as the band’s leader by letting his vocals influence the listener to sway along and fall in love with the power of simplicity in the songwriting. The vocals are from the same school as Bob Dylan and Tom Petty in the sense that Wilson isn’t a pop diva, but the focus is on what he’s singing about rather than what kind of singer he is. The EP contains songs about making your presence felt (“Guest like a Ghost”), the importance of being yourself (“Morals”) and how even the most stern men long for love and romance (“Fourth Line”). The band almost sounds like the acoustic side of the Shins on the song “Blessed” while Wilson wails “Blessed is the body / of the fallen sun / Father he has forgotten to love / there was the passion that created flesh and blood”. The infusion of harmonica on the song “All the Minutes” is reminiscent of Neil Young with the vivacious melody swaying its way around the acoustic guitar and bass-lines. All in all the real success of the EP is that it celebrates its relentless honesty through Wilson’s songwriting and its total disregard of what’s currently at the top of the charts. The EP sounds like it got lost in a time machine because it could have just as easily fit in with the acoustic folk revolution of the 1960’s. There’s something here for country and rock fans alike, whether you’re accustomed to listening to Ronnie Hawkins or the Tragically Hip.

www.myspace.com/inneswilson - By Alex Young

In our 2010 review of Innes Wilson and His Opposition’s Cardigan Summer, Madeleine noted that the album sounded like a mix of several different folk rock albums thrown together. In fact, Wilson and His Opposition gained a reputation among reviewers for living outside the genre box and playing with several different sounds.

Looks like things in 2013 are no different for the Wilson as he releases two albums in one go. Eramosa is described by Wilson as a lo-fi grunge album and it lives up to these words with distorted rapid vocals and simple chord progressions. Most of the songs clock in around the two-minute mark—rapid bursts of shifting moods.

Moving Head Moving Places was written right after Cardigan Summer and is the perfect example of Wilson’s genre-mixing formula. Pitched as a pop album, Moving Head Moving Places transitions from light indie to dance pop, hints at folk rock, and peppers things with the occasional slow tune.

“Ivy” opens Eramosa with Wilson racing through his lyrics along to a rousing beat that excites. “Cold” knocks things down with a slower, darker pace while “Garden” begins building things up again. This strange ebb and flow reflects Wilson’s decision to avoid committing to just one sound.

“Toast” almost feels like a pop punk track as Wilson puts some distance between himself and the microphone. The reduced presence on the vocals removes some of the urgency that “Ivy” carried while the rhythm remains energetic.

The lyrics “I’m not old, I’m not young” in “Mother” reflect some of the contradiction and confusion that comes from Wilson’s mixing of genres. His resistance to categories gives yet another track that sounds like it could have come off a different album—instrumentally it reminds me of White Wires.

Just as suddenly, things slow down with “August” while “Bell” taps into some “Smells Like Teen Spirit” pacing. Closer “Tough” features some strange vocals—heavy presence on the mic and an almost spoken word approach at times.

The contrast between Emarosa and Moving Head Moving Places cannot be overstated. Gone is the vocal distortion and any feeling of grunge. “I don’t bruise” isn’t cheerful lyrically, but sounds like a fun indie rock track. “Oh the autumn light” is even more light-hearted with the addition of a keyboard.

“Old man cardinal” evokes a whimsical feel with some whistling and Wilson’s vocals taking on a soothing, steady flow. “Like glass figurines” builds on the rolling pace of “Old man cardinal” and adds a harmonica, giving it a distinctly folksy sound.

“Sour are those fruit” features some distant and resonant vocals from Wilson and relies on simple drumming and strumming for a slower interlude. “A stranger without you” brings back the harmonica but channels more of an indie folk sound than a country one. The backing vocals on “The final cigarette” give the song an extra kick which, when combined with the guitar intro, gives it an anthemic indie rock feel.

“tonite little darling” mixes country with indie rock and “Which word is the world” uses the chatty nature of some country and adds it to a soft rock beat. Finally, “The Cornerstone” ends things on a whisper as Wilson croons into the mic from far away, accompanied by the gentle strumming of an acoustic guitar.

There’s a lot going on in Innes Wilson’s double-release. It’s unlikely that both will appeal to the same listener, but it’s almost guaranteed something will. Wilson’s versatility is impressive, and his unabashed mixing of genres reveals confidence in his ability to move across genres without the aid of transitions.

Top Tracks: “Ivy”; “Oh the autumn light”

Rating: Strong Hoot (Good) - reviewed by Eleni Armenakis

“Cardigan Summer,” the latest album from Guelph group Innes Wilson and his Opposition, is a handful of varied folk-rock songs. I say handful because it’s almost as if they’ve been thrown together from several different albums. The record’s got an undeniably 90’s fuzzy-guitar feel, but at times ventures into calmer territory, with a more stripped down sound and hushed vocals.

The title track “Cardigan Summer” is a catchy Wintersleep-eqsue single with fun lyrics, while “Class of Apathy” has a distinct country feel. “Red Wing Blackbird and the Thunder Incarnate” is a longer track that morphs from folky ballad to full-out rock song as it crescendos into an electric finale.

Sometimes vocals start out clear, and then become fuzzier as the songs progress. I wish the vocal clarity was sustained, and crave for more keys and harmonica, but there is definitely great potential here.

My favourite track is “So I Await,” a soothing duet that features Waterloo songstress Meggi Faye, but there truly is something for everyone on this album. Pop? Rock? Folk? Country? Innes Wilson and his Opposition throw it all together.

Top tracks: “So I Await”; “27 Leagues”

Rating: Strong Hoot (Good) - Reviewed by Madeleine

Innes Wilson and His Opposition, Cardigan Summer (Out Of Sound)

WHO

Fuzz-rock trio from Guelph.

DISCOGRAPHY
Innes Wilson and His Opposition) (Out Of Sound, 2008)
Cardigan Summer (Out Of Sound, 2010)

IN A NUTSHELL

The mix of sounds on display on Cardigan Summer suggests that Innes Wilson and His Opposition are a band with plenty of talent and oodles of potential.

THE STORY

I know that it's fashionable to believe that the album as an art form is dead. The success of a model like iTunes has shown that people are a lot more interested in buying single songs than full albums, while even some artists have said that they don't know if full-lengths have much of a use any more.

In this respect, I guess, I'm an anachronism: I still much prefer listening to LPs and EPs over singles. There are a few reasons for this, but perhaps the best is the one reflected by Cardigan Summer, the debut full-length from Innes Wilson and His Opposition: basically, it helps you get a full measure of a band. After all, if you were to listen only to individual tracks from Cardigan Summer, you'd get a vastly different impression of the band depending on which song you heard. The title track, for example, would lead you to believe they were a fuzz-rock band, while "Got A Gun" would make you think they were some sort of Nirvana-esque neo-grunge act, and "Class of Apathy" would leave you thinking they were a '60s-tinged country-rock band. All of these impressions would be correct for their respective songs, but they wouldn't help you to get a full picture of what Innes Wilson and His Opposition sounds like. It's only a full album that gives you that level of insight and understanding.

Of course, it probably helps the band figure out who they are, too. As much as I enjoy Cardigan Summer, because of its diversity of sounds I can't imagine that it represents the band as a finished product. I get the impression that Innes Wilson & co. are still sorting that out, and that this full-length debut is more a first step than a final destination.

Even if it is, though, it's still worth hearing. Innes Wilson and His Opposition clearly have lots of ideas, and it's fun to hear them try them all out. It makes for a great approach for a debut, especially since Cardigan Summer proves they're pretty good at everything they try their hands at.
- iheartmusic.net

INNES WILSON AND HIS OPPOSITION They could sum it up better themselves than anyone else could. Innes Wilson and His Opposition “are a trio of fuzz-folk yokels.” An homage to the ‘60s psychedelic wrapped in a tidy ‘90s towel, the Royal City natives are offering fans and patrons alike the chance to come to Jimmy Jazz on February 27 in support of their latest record, Cardigan Summer. One hit off of their MySpace and you’re enveloped by the sound that’s ever–changing from track to track as the eclecticism of the band is produced through each song you hear. “Cardigan Summer is down home and genuine,” they say. “It’s what happens when you grab your acoustic guitar, your oldest and dearest amp, plug it in and break it down with raw emotion. ‘Like a good friend till the end.’” For a band that’s stitched itself together with over a decade of performing between them, the music captures animal noises (“Morals”) and a funk baseline opener (“Seasons in The Soil”) that will have you returning to listen over and over again. “We’re influenced by nice folks like our neighbour Jay,” they boast, “He’s the go–to guy on all accounts: stuff for the house, the yard, the car, running an errand. When we are jamming at ten at night he brings over delicious BBQ. Always good for a laugh. Always a beer. He’s down home and genuine. He’s as big a part as any show promoter to us.” For Innes Wilson, Adam Sturgeon and Blake Stevenson, the trio’s studio effort was a conglomeration of the artistic input of friends they had join them “in the living room.” From Kirsten Palm (WHOOP–Szo) to Mike Brooks (Green Go, Gregory Pepper), the record is a compilation of various influences, musical ideas and ultimately a disc that you just have to keep on replay. As indie artists, the band mentions that it’s hard to be recognized and original at the same time, but their music speaks loudly for itself. “The word of the Guelph indie scene travels with us. Everyone seems to play in a band that commands a lot of respect, but not a lot of folks are hitting the road. You can only play in your city so many times before people start to take it for granted. When we travel and tell people where we are from it automatically is a notch in our belts. That speaks of the wealth of music ‘round here,” they say. For a sheer slap of solid Canadian folk/rock/shoegaze music, head over to Jimmy Jazz on February 27 for Innes Wilson and His Opposition, or check ‘em online at myspace.com/inneswilson. And as for those new musicians sauntering into the scene? “Get a job with flexible hours?” they advise. “It's not likely to be making much money but if you can appreciate a modest living you might be able to continue playing music after your are done college or whatever,” adding, “Play in as many bands as possible. Just don’t do it Guelph as much.” - by Carrie Humphries

Wonderfully romantic stuff, if you ask me. It’s always nice to see creative-minded people contemplating the evolving methods of distributing independent music. - Paul Watson

Out of Sound Records’s next digital DIY release is called Cassette, a compilation of unreleased songs by 24 different artists released in association with zunior.com. The DIY feature of this compilation is that the music is on an actual tape, which comes with an digital access code to download music online. Cassette features Canadian artists like Shotgun Jimmie, Sunparlour Players, Jim Bryson, and Andre Ethier. The tour to promote Cassette includes a Montreal date on Sunday, September 28 at The Pound, with Tacoma Hellfarm Tragedy, Innes Wilson & His Opposition, among others. - Jaime MacLean