Tag: in field and town

Let me start this review off by talking about one of the best concerts I saw this year. The show was the amazing Feist, who managed to captivate me in 2007, and ended up at the number 2 spot on my countdown last year. As much as I was beaming with glee at seeing Feist, I was excited for the concert for another reason; Hayden was opening, and I hadn’t heard anything from him since high school, when I first fell in love with his song Bad As They Seem. Well, Hayden played a bunch of stuff off of his new album In Field & Town(which I snagged before the concert to get reacquainted with him), and he was down right amazing in concert. As I mentioned, I first heard about him in high school, but I hadn’t really followed him; mostly because he’s a Canadian artist, and much of his work is difficult to get commercially here in the states. Well, I’m glad that this album was more readily available, because it was a huge surprise to me, and his album of aching love songs ended up in my top ten for the year because of how amazing it is. It seems that time has been good to Hayden.

This album is very down tempo and completely heartfelt. His tender voice wraps itself around each track, which he sings with a sense of reservation to accompany the amazing orchestrations. Hayden reminds me of Bob Dylan with his masterful story-telling and smoky voice, as well as Aqualung, who actually made my top ten last year, with his tenderness and emotive use of the music to paint a gentle picture that might hang inside his heart. His mastery of the piano, horns, tender snare, and his use of surprises like the xylophone come together to make a folk-pop album that doesn’t have a sore track on it. This album is so well crafted, that it cannot be ignored. I am just elated that Hayden opened for Feist, so that I could be reacquainted with this amazing artist from our northern neighbor.

Overall, this record captured my attention a lot this year because of just how damn good it is. If you like folk-pop, then you will LOVE Hayden. Hayden’s singing voice is quiet and weathered, and he uses it to caress the words of each song in a way that really makes its meaning that much more sincere. It seems that Hayden has been making great music for quite a while now, and I will be the first to say that I am glad that he is back on my radar; In Field & Townis an understated, beautifully produced album that I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know this year. The track that I chose to highlight is one of the best songs that I heard all year, the AMAZING The Hardest Part; which really just hits me, and all I can say about it is wow.

Sparkle Factor:
Stand Outs: The Hardest Part [audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_425_hayden-thehardestpart.mp3]
Weight Of the World, More Than Alive, Worthy of Your Esteem, Barely Friends, Lonely Security Guard.