Album Review: Great Lake Swimmers - New Wild Everywhere

Canada's Great Lake Swimmers have retuned with their new record, New Wild Everywhere, featuring 12 tracks of singer/songwriter Tony Dekker's subtle, meaning-laden lyrics and ephemeral, full-bodied soundscapes. The band, famous for their choice of out-of-the-way locations for recording, have instead moved into the more traditional setting of a studio, making their music more polished, and frankly, boring.

The title track is deceptive, as what starts out optimistically with upbeat, buoyant melodies shortly loses gravity when Dekker's jarring vocals are introduced, making the track too crowded, dissolving into a cacophony of sound that seems awkward and grating.  Instead, opener, Think That You Might Be Wrong, is understated but effective. Dekker's lyrics are inspiring and buoyant, especially with the introduction of backing vocals before blending and weaving together with the accompaniment until they become inseparable. This continues in The Great Exhale, which draws on the timeless and graceful melodies they are better known for. There is an identifiably organic sound emerging, the track being the only one recorded on location – this time in an abandoned Toronto subway station.

The disappointing aspect of the album stems from the uneven quality of material, as we return to the forced, and over-emotional strains that enshroud Cornflower Blue and Fields Of Progeny, both of which are lackluster. However, the sparse instrumentals of Quiet Your Mind and On The Water, showcase the talent of new additions to the band, particularly the banjo, violin and sweeping double bass, which refresh the album. Dekker does succeed in entrancing listeners with his stripped back vocals, lifting the album out of the mundane and establishing it firmly, if too cleanly, back in the realm of folk they're known for.