Language of the Birds (Official Video) from Wendy McNeill’s upcoming album First There Were Feathers

Wendy McNeill’s new album, ’First There Were Feathers’ follows her process from when a forest fire destroyed the area around her home, through the questions and answers that this loss triggered. Using the analogy of ‘the canary in a coal mine’ McNeill chose to use birds as the main messenger in the album as she contemplated the uncomfortable truth that wild fires and extreme weather events are the new normal in our time Drawing from scientific studies, personal experience, classic literature and myth, the album explores the beauty, mystery and resilience of birds and how their fate is intimately connected with ours. A blend of myth and memoir, First There Were Feathers is an exciting album in which Wendy McNeill’s folk noir roots and passion for storytelling have grown to include elements of Jazz and World music as well as echoes of Beatles, early Bjork and Radiohead The album was created with the assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts. We gratefully acknowledge t