If John Mayer and Bob Dylan had a baby, and that baby made quirky pop music, it would be Montreal songwriter Courtney Wing. On Bouquet of Might & Fury, his third full-length release, he employs a revolving door of musicians that would make any songwriter jealous. They include members of Belle Orchestre, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and even a 10-piece opera collective called Liederwolfe. The album’s production is impressive, with adequately fleshed out songs, and more instruments and sounds going on than you could count, including a lightsaber hook sample. It’s interesting to listen to a songwriter who, instead of stripping things down, throws everything he can at the songs trying to make them as big as possible. The unfortunate downside is that it can at times overwhelm Wing’s earnest songwriting, preventing the listener from being able to be properly drawn in. See Courtney Wing April 6 at the West End Cultural Centre.

Published in Volume 64, Number 25 of The Uniter (April 1, 2010)