WILDING – BIRD’S BREAD

Bird’s Bread is like skipping on a sunny day through the mind of singer-songwriter Justin Wilding Stokes or Wilding. Contributing all of the songwriting and the bulk of the instrumentation along with collaborator Robin Waters of The Boat People, Wilding has managed to pen an album of pop songs that are dreamy, welcoming and reminiscent of psychedelic Sgt. Peppers era Beatles; yet not in a contrived fashion as the songs are as fresh and heartfelt as a child’s mind. Indeed the album could easily be the soundtrack to a kid’s daydream with instruments such as melodica, kazoos, tin whistles and toy pianos all thrown into the mix and captured on tape. The album has a ‘hit record and go’ feel and sounds as though the tracks were recorded in a bedroom closet, however the lazy grooves and loose instrumentation facilitate the dreamy mood of the record and maintain the 60s pop sound. It’s also easy to fall in love with the endearing and whimsical lyrics that are brimming with colourful imagery. Bird’s Bread is a confident little pop beauty, that’s sure to perk up any listeners day.

***1/2