Joel Plaskett: If There's Another Road
The East Coast indie rock hero previews an epic four album release with a charming and reflective tune.
By Kerry Doole
Joel Plaskett - If There's Another Road (Pheromone): One of Canadian indie rock's favourite sons, Nova Scotian songsmith Plaskett is also one of the most prolific and creatively adventurous.
Described as a conceptual follow-up to his Juno-award winning triple record, Three, his next project, 44, comprises four 11-song albums, 41: Carried Away, 42: Just Passing Through, 43: IfThere’s Another Road and 44: The Window Inn), packaged together and connected thematically.
In a label press release, Plaskett states that "Making a record has always felt to me like trying to put a frame around a group of songs. In going through my songs from the last four years, it dawned on me that I’d need more than one frame to contain what I’ve been writing about. Hence four panes within a frame, four records in one box. Synchronicity and numbers have always been a fascination, and I saw this project as an opportunity to create something to mark my 44th year on this mystifying planet."
44 comes out on April 17, the day before his 45th birthday. Four years in the making, it features songs recorded in Dartmouth, Memphis, Nashville and Toronto with 33 different musicians, including Plaskett’s band The Emergency (Dave Marsh & Chris Pennell) and Mo Kenney.
The title track of the third album in the set, If There's Another Road finds Plaskett in a reflective mood - "I was at the curtain call, When summer turned to fall." That endearingly warm voice is in top shape, and the song gradually expands sonically, with mandolin remaining prominent.
The press release informs that “If There’s Another Road was recorded by Doug Easley (who recorded Plaskett’s former alt-rock band Thrush Hermit’s Sweet Homewrecker back in 1996) at Memphis Magnetic Recording. It was the first song Plaskett wrote after buying an old mandolin and is one of Plaskett’s personal favourites from the project."
COVID-19 concerns have forced the postponement of a planned tour. Plaskett states "the tour is being rescheduled to the fall (with many fingers crossed!). This physical separation we face is immensely challenging but we remain connected in ways we cannot see or touch. Music has, and always will be, a meaningful part of that invisible connection." Check his website for future show details.
Links
PR: Adam Bentley – Auteur Research
