Chills climb spines when sound is given room to unfurl. The Deep Dark Woods’ unflinching pursuit of steadiness between decadence and minimalism is guided at every turn by their intuitive ability to balance grit, clarity, drive and restraint with a sure focus on experimentation.

Winter Hours (2009), caught critics’ ears across the country. The album, a solemn ode to darker themes of seclusion and d...etachment, could yet warm even the bottomless, frozen nights of hometown Saskatoon, SK. With ...