Hayden: "in field and town" review

Hayden is one of those guys I've followed since I was a teenager. He's sort of the Canadian David Bazaan (of Pedro the Lion) with a Heart-of-Gold-era Neil Young thing going on. I've bought basically everything he's put out, which all has the common threads of being a little folky, all instruments recorded and performed by himself, bedroom-pop feel, etc., but this record was slated to be his "rock record" by journalists/bloggers. This album does not rock. It rolls in the way that Hayden must have rolled out of bed to press the record button while making this record. And that's not to put down the album. It just lulls at the same pace the last few records did and does not achieve the exititng variances of his first two full-lengths (1995's "Everything I Long For" had a Tom Waits rasp and 1998's "The Closer I Get" had sort of an indie-rock Pedro the Lion/Bedhead feel).

"Field and Town's" strong pieces are "Damn This Feeling", which is a simple piano tune where you can actually hear the pedal mechanism inside the piano (sounds like he stuck the mic right in the top of the upright), and the synth in "Worthy of your Esteem" provided the one fresh element on the record. "Did I Wake up Beside You?" has a syncopated electric guitar upstroke that pays homage to Neil's "Southern Man" The disappointment here is "Lonely Security Guard" whic fits the story-telling that Hayden likes to do, but it seems ill-conceived.

Folks, my recommendation is to go out and buy Hayden's "Live at Convocation Hall". It's a double disc live record that covers his best prior to 2002. I've written before on this blog that sometimes live records are better than "best-of" records and this is a fine example. It's just Hayden and a home-town crowd and the interaction between them. A wonderful double-record that I take on road trips and that I strongly recommend to those wanting to check out Hayden.