You could be forgiven for thinking that you were listening to a psych-folk offering from the late sixties when first hearing Riverview Fog from The Sadies. The song is the first single from their forthcoming 10th studio album ‘Northern Passages,’ due for release on February 10, 2017 (Yep Roc Records). According to the press release, the Riverview Fog began life as a letter to their friend Rick White, whose contributions, both musical and visual, have helped to shape The Sadies’ career. Just checkin’ in…
The essence of The Sadies’ story can be summed up with the powerful image of the aurora borealis adorning the cover of their latest album, Northern Passages. Ever since the quartet, comprised of singer/guitarists Dallas and Travis Good, bassist Sean Dean and drummer Mike Belitsky, first arrived on the North American scene 20 years ago, their music has never been less than awe-inspiring, with no embellishment necessary.
As the light swirled with each album The Sadies have made, the overall picture took on more defined colours. On top of that is an incredible list of collaborations – Neko Case, R&B legend Andre Williams, The Mekons’ Jon Langford, Jon Spencer, Robyn Hitchcock, John Doe, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Gord Downie, Neil Young – each artist pushing their sound into new, unmapped territory.
Recorded in the basement of Dallas and Travis’ parents’ home north of Toronto over the winter of 2015, the familiar surroundings and lack of distractions resulted in a consistent feel, despite the eclecticism at the heart of The Sadies’ sound.
The Sadies are a band that fans cling to like a closely guarded secret, with each new release fulfilling the promise to reach further, for all of our sakes, not just their own. With Northern Passages, the time has come to make room for more on this wild acid-folk-country-punk trip, and we’ll be better off because of it.
Northern Passages tracklist:
01. Riverview Fog
02. Another Season Again
03. There Are No Words
04. It’s Easy (Like Walking) (feat. Kurt Vile)
05. The Elements Song
06. Through Strange Eyes
07. God Bless The Infidels
08. The Good Years
09. As Above, So Below
10. Questions I Never Asked
11. The Noise Museum