Grab your whiskey bottles; it’s time to talk about The Wooden Sky. The band’s second LP, If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone, picks up where When Lost At Sea left us, bringing back the folky guitars and frontman Gavin Gardiner’s gorgeous, intense voice.

On this album, Gardiner croons about feelings, breaks our hearts, picks up the pieces and converses with the late King Henry. The album is more complete than their first effort and uses voice harmonies judiciously, highlighting crucial parts of songs and sending shivers down our spines. Former Mother Mother member Debra Jean Creelman landed her flawless voice to what is probably the most heart wrenching and prettiest song of winter 2009, “Oslo”. “(Bit Part)” and”The Late King Henry” are more upbeat and cheerful hence balancing the rest of the album nicely. And because sometimes it can’t be all about mushiness and feelings, the band treats us with an epic, spectacular bridge on “My Old Ghosts”.

If I Don’t Come Home is the perfect album for winter cuddling, soup eating and most importantly for heart-to-heart talks around a camp fire (or your TV if you live in a crowded second floor apartment with no backyard in the city).

Make sure to catch them live in Kingston on the 22nd and in Montréal on the 23rd (with Great Bloomers). They are also playing a show for lucky Bishop University students on February 2nd. They have a bunch of other tour dates which you can check out at their MySpace.

Several songs from the album are available for your gentle ears on their MySpace. Grab some mint tea and do your ears some good; go listen!