The Winks

"Listen to the winks and there is a hobbit-esque punk about them. Wandering minstrels from the present tense stuck somewhere between the "real" Canadian world and a mid-summer nights fairytale set in a forest by the sea." - Inpress magazine, Australia

The Winks, who hail from Montreal (via Vancouver), put the "collect" in "collective": Though they're officially a two-piece -- Todd MacDonald (mandolin, vocals) and Tyr Jami (cello, vocals) -- they list no fewer than thirteen rotating members that contribute to the group's off-kilter pop sounds. The band has released five limited edition CD-Rs and one joint album with Tights, but Nov. 17 marked the release of their second official studio album, Birthday Party.

What's the Deal? Carried by Jami's cello, the ten tracks on Birthday Party express a contemplative depth. Jami's voice -- sweeter than Sugarcubes-era Bjork -- seems less plainly upbeat than it is investigative, while MacDonald's offerings in the vocal department have ventured into longing territory. Meanwhile, great swells of instrumentation show the band maturing in real-time. For proof, look no further than the darkly elegiac "0[]." Or, if you'd rather stay on the celebratory side, stick to tracks like "Slumber Party Let's Go." Either way, you're getting a gift. - SPIN

Are you going to be there when they make the drop? When the pinata cracks and egg yolk fills the city streets? No wigglin’ no squigglin’ you are not alone at this birthday party. Todd and Tyr are at the table. Sideways winks Tim and Paul and Jesse and Andy are around too – let’s sing! An elegant blend of modern fervor with an old-world charm, Birthday Party glistens with a timeless yet quirky pop panache. Primarily cello, mandolin, vocals, and percussion, The Winks are entirely void of any of the instruments traditionally used within rock music. Yet the delivery is easily The Winks most 'rock' performance; grand and driving. The structure, song writing, and execution suggests a contemporary and pop spirit, rich with "hooks". However, Birthday Party is, no doubt, the darkest of The Winks creative output, slanting the album title towards a moodier implication; a birthday party representing the overwhelming, daunting, and powerful sensation of growing older; celebratory, yet severe. It is an exploration of the bitter-sweet act of life itself. - Zulu Records

The duo's mandolin/cello, boy-girl, art-pop freakout immediately brings a smile to my face. Marking their recent move from Vancouver to ever-trendy Montreal, Birthday Party is probably their most cohesive effort to date. Tyr Jami and Todd Macdonald trade off their Bjork/Bright Eyes-reminiscent vocals over a teeming mix, building offbeat pop structures around their playful cello and mandolin, along with welcome contributions of violin, flute, keys, sax and electronics. Though the LP features one or two moodier tracks, the band retain a dizzy whimsy throughout, cheerfully singing their Mad Libs lyrics like they make all the sense in the world. Too talented to be dismissed as novelty act, this is pure musical lunacy at its best. - Chart Attack

You can even cry if you want to, for this birthday party is everybody’s birthday party. With pointy hats in hand, The Winks deliver their eighth release, The Birthday Party. Bring your pajamas for the slumber party, get ready for some hair pulling and in the morning we’ll have perogies and toast — Todd MacDonald and Tyr Jami have planned the most well rounded party you could imagine.

Mr. McDonald will play mandolin, programmers, keyboards, glockenspiel, and voice chords. In between, he’ll fight a dragon and tell you to fuck right off if you even try a guitar swing. This album is a refreshing glass of water – incredible to sound so good without a single stroke from a guitar.

Tyr Jami, the other party host will play the cello and sweetly sing you to the floor, her tap dancing bouncing you right back up again. The other members of the cast may once and a while play the organ, abuse the saxophone, act out on the drums and maybe even burn your cheeks with the deep fryer fan.

The severity of all instruments ensued is the perfect example of all birthday parties you’ve ever had. They’ve left headaches, beautiful arrays of colored wrapping paper, piñata guts, and sometimes even a new make-out buddy. This album has just as many ages and feelings as it does dynamic and complimenting sound compositions. This production will surely be enough to delight and confuse. - Beat Route

Tyr and Todd have crafted an outstandingly fresh record, building upon what 2004's Slippers & Parasol had already achieved. Mixing equal part's experimentalism and catchy pop hooks, along with the strange combination of mandolin and cello, Birthday Party overflows with gem after gem. - Scatter Brain

Cute in the case of the Winks cuts its sweet with enough salt to keep you snacking for hours. Not unlike a car trip sing-along with Ida and the Unicorns, the four Canadian West coast Winkers put their guy/gal harmonies overtop acoustic strings and sprinkle with kitchen sink percussion. Tyr Jami and Todd Macdonald's songs go from mock mythic to stranger and creepier over the course of of their seven tracks. - Exlaim! Magazine

Smart, arty and unusual, the Winks is like the intersection of Modest Mouse and Eno. Totally Cool. Tights includes some Winks and an electronic artist making quirky laptop noise. - The Province (Vancouver)

The Winks are twee as fuck.

Like Frog Eyes mashed with baroque chamber music filtered through early 60s girl-band pop, the Vancouver group eschews traditional indie instrumentation while embracing willfully obscure lyrics and calliope-esque melodies. - See Magazine (Edmonton)

"...charmingly bent pop that fizzes and burns at the same time."
- The Globe and Mail