Magical, bleak and beautiful, the music of welkin is fearless, feral, ethereal and epic in proportion. On their newest release 'Strangers & Exiles', the 12 tracks are as brilliant and austere as the aurora borealis in a cold night sky with Geoff Birch's voice taking them to the "vault of heaven" (or the "welkin") with depth and humanity.

Welkin is the brainchild of singer, songwriter, producer, guitarist and pianist, Geoff Birch. He occasionally performs solo but most often with the band. On 'Strangers and Exiles' he is joined by Mark Christianson on bass, Chad Bjorgan on drums , and on keys/organ Chris Janz. Based in Vancouver and formed in 2001, welkin's atmospheric Art Rock has proven to be worthy of attention. The band's discography includes the critically acclaimed debut 'No Ordinary Elephant'. Their '3-Song 2004 EP' received excellent reviews and the much anticipated full-length sophomore record 'Strangers and Exiles' was chosen out of more than 500 bands across British Columbia to receive the MUSIC BC/Precision Disc Manufacturing prize of 1000 free pressed CDs.

For inspiration, Birch lives in a cabin in the Cascade Mountains of British Columbia where he writes the words and composes the music for all of the welkin songs. In the recording studio, he lays down all his vocal tracks in the nude. He says it gets him a little closer to the music.

'Strangers and Exiles' covers a wide musical terrain ranging from the sweeping title track, to the otherworldly 'The One Great Night', the driving 'Beautiful One', the ephemeral 'Horses Heaving Under These Silver Stars' and majestic sounds of 'Howling Wind'. For best listening results, lug your speakers into your backyard and aim them at the "welkin". Let the music do the rest.