Apr 2012: POP and ROCK

GOOD, PINSENT, KEELOR

Down And Out In Upalong (Warner)

It doesn't get any more Canuck than this. Imagine if you will the combination of dusty spoken word poetry vocals of Canadian-to-the-bone actor Gordon Pinsent with the dark, folk-rock heart and voice of Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor and a dollop of the sparkling guitar figures of Canada's Twangmeister General Travis Good (the Sadies). Down And Out In Upalong is just that, and as odd as its contrasting elements sound, the collaboration works.

Pinsent's words are deftly written and moody, evoking images of turbulent Eastern Canadian waters and its shadowy allure. The particularly poignant On the Seagrass weaves a tale of watery graves and hearts floating away in sadness and lost love. Keelor and Good contribute songs that fit the overall foggy mood perfectly, adding a sturdy hardwood floor for Pinsent's poetry to dance upon.

The album definitely has the overall feeling of a wake for a dead East Coast fisher, and may be best avoided if you have depression issues, but if you have some Screech available and need to get in the mood this is undeniably your soundtrack. 'Ö'Ö'Ö

— Jeff Monk

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December 7, 2019

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