The Fretless's Waterbound, self-released in 2012 and produced by Joby Baker, is the Canadian string quartet's debut album. Ben Plotnick, Karrnnel Sawitsky, and Trent Freeman play violin and viola; Eric Wright, cello—the quartet drawing on classical technique while rooting its repertoire in Celtic, folk, and Appalachian fiddle idioms. Ruth Moody of The Wailin' Jennys appears as a featured guest vocalist on the title track. The album earned Canadian Folk Music Awards for Instrumental Group of the Year and Ensemble of the Year in 2013, and the band subsequently won the Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year in 2017—the most comprehensive recognition of a chamber-folk synthesis that positions acoustic string-quartet playing directly within the North American roots tradition.
Tracklist
- 1 Box, Man 5:39
- 2 Beads At the Market 4:28
- 3 Waterbound alt version 3:27
- 4 The Northern Three 4:47
- 5 A Bunch of Time 4:37
- 6 Brigitte 4:38
- 7 As We Pray 3:11
- 8 Harder to Walk 3:56
- 9 Growlin' 3:46
