The Sadies
Darker Circles
(Outside Music)
Website: www.thesadies.net
The Sadies are now rightfully regarded as one of Canada’s hard-to-beat roots rocking outfits and there is no doubt that their ninth album, the estimable and slightly sinister “Darker Circles” will not disappoint anyone within earshot of the thing. Interestingly, “DC” seems to be their “drugs” album. More often than not, the lyrics deal with the pain of loss, loneliness and regret. If you have paid attention to this genre over the years you already know that this kind of subject matter, when handled properly, can be a riveting listening experience. The Good brothers lay into the desperateness pretty honorably here. Musically, they again straddle the line between The Byrds in Gene Clark mode (the excellent “Whispering Circles”), bluegrass, hardcore country, quasi country-pop (The Mike Nesmith-influenced “Postcards”) and soul with journeymen’s skill and the ability to add depth with just a touch of right instrument at the right juncture in the song. It is a serious album that draws you back again and again into it’s overarching melancholy but it is less of a downer than a thoughtful treatise on what we eventually all experience over time, relationships and in The Sadies case, being on the road, lonely and without the safe at home anchors that keep us all sane. This is a high water mark in the career of a band that has already had plenty of kudos on their journey.
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