SPOTLIGHT : Wintersleep - New Inheritors

Having won a Juno for New Group of the Year and being hand picked by Paul McCartney as an opening act are just a few of the distinctions that Halifax, Nova Scotia's hottest exports Wintersleep have under their belt. Although they may be best known for that dang catchy song "Weighty Ghost," Wintersleep has churned out three previous albums' worth of their eerie and unsettling brand of indie rock. Their fourth album New Inheritors is now available every way you like your music in Canada, the U.S. and Europe.

Similarly, you can follow them in every way you like your online music stalking. Here they are on Facebook, Twitter, Last.FM and Myspace. Loel Campbell, the drummer, also maintains a relatively prolific blog on the site.

I had the pleasure of seeing Wintersleep a handful of times while they were in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics. In between pleasing the crowds with old favourites such as "Dead Letter & the Infinite Yes" and their aforementioned big hit, the band also teased the crowd with new material such as "Experience the Jewel" and the album's first single "Black Camera." The lyrical themes that flirt with death and bleakness were aptly complemented by the pelting rain. Check out some of the photos from their Olympic show with the Constantines here.

Also stay tuned to North by East West for an in-depth interview with Wintersleep regarding the making of New Inheritors!

New Inheritors full stream:

Music video for "Black Camera," the first single:

Grab a free download of the title track here:

They're going on a thorough U.S. tour but sprinkled in between are some Canadian festival dates. Here they are below:

26 May 2010 21:00
Mod Club Toronto, Ontario, CA
4 Jun 2010 20:00
First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia Philadelphia, Pennsylvan, US
5 Jun 2010 20:00
Great Scott Allston, Massachuse, US
6 Jun 2010 20:30
Iron Horse Music Hall Northampton, Massachuse, US
8 Jun 2010 20:00
Lincoln Hall Chicago, Illinois, US
9 Jun 2010 20:00
7th Street Entry Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
12 Jun 2010 21:00
High Dive Seattle Seattle, Washington, US
13 Jun 2010 21:00
Doug Fir Lounge Portland, Oregon, US
15 Jun 2010 20:00
The Independent San Francisco, California, US
16 Jun 2010 21:00
Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, California, US
17 Jun 2010 20:00
Troubadour Los Angeles, California, US
18 Jun 2010 20:00
Sail Inn Tempe, Arizona , US
19 Jun 2010 20:00
Corazon Santa Fe, New Mexico, US
21 Jun 2010 20:00
Mohawk Austin, Texas , US
23 Jun 2010 20:00
Bottle Tree Birmingham, Alabama , US
24 Jun 2010 20:30
Earl East Atlanta, Georgia , US
27 Jun 2010 20:30
Bowery Ballroom New York, New York, US
28 Aug 2010 18:30
Molson Canadian Amphitheatre Toronto, Ontario , CA
4 Sep 2010 16:00
Northlands Grounds - SONiC BOOM Festival Edmonton, Alberta , CA