Some people might think listening to A Northern Chorus in darkest January could lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair.

But there are those of us who find the Hamilton band's slow, sweeping guitar soundscapes beautiful and uplifting -- even Winterize, the song about American songwriter Elliott Smith's suicide, for which they've recently made a video.

"We get reviews that say we must be really depressed people," admitted ANC singer-guitarist Pete Hall in an interview yesterday.

"But people make their own interpretations of whatever they're listening to. I think it's partly that they're not typical pop songs -- there aren't really any verses or choruses. Maybe two songs have something of a pop structure, but most of them don't. And I think that -- plus lots of cellos, pianos and reverb -- automatically makes people think it's sad."

A Northern Chorus' most recent album, Bitter Hands Resign, is full of all those things, plus delicate melodies, hushed vocals, slow-building waves of sound and vaguely troubling lyrics about trembling skies, raging water and dying troops. But it's not sad, really.

Hall and his cohorts -- fellow singer-guitarist Stu Livingstone, bassist Owen Davies, cellist Alex McMaster and drummer Marshall Bureau, plus producer-pianist-organist Graham Walsh -- made the album in a barn to capture the wide open spaces of their music. Since its release last spring, Bureau has been replaced by Craig Halliday, which has caused some adjustment in everyone's playing during their many tours.

"He's awesome," said Hall of Halliday. "He plays a bit differently, but once you've done 12 shows or so you don't really notice. You learn to adapt. It's interesting, because it kind of tests you to see what type of drummers you can play with, and how quietly or loudly you can play yourself."

In March, A Northern Chorus will head out on another tour, then come back and think about their next album, which Hall promised will sound "completely different.

"We don't want to make the same record," he added. "We do have some songs, but we're not playing them live yet. We're going to work on them for a while."

A Northern Chorus are at the Lula Lounge tonight with fellow big guitar noise purveyors SIANspheric.