IN REVIEW: Gord Downie - "Away Is Mine"

It's a little surreal having a new album from Gord Downie, just about three years to the day since his passing. Recorded just three months before his passing with producer Nyles Spencer (who provides drum programming and other effects) and frequent collaborators Josh Finlayson (co-founder of Skydiggers) and Travis Good (of The Sadies), Away Is Mine is presented as a double album, the second half being stripped down acoustic versions of the original songs. At just over 27 minutes for the electric arrangements and just over 24 minutes for acoustic, whichever set you choose isn't too great an investment.

If this album proves anything, it's Downie's commitment to creation; even so close to his passing, he made greatness seem almost effortless (Away Is Mine was written and recorded in a combined time period of just about two weeks). As opposed to the heart-wrenching send-off Introduce Yerself, the songs on Away Is Mine are generally livelier and less emotionally heavy; these songs find Downie doing what he was always best known and loved for, and that's stringing words together in a way that was pure magic.

That there are still more projects yet to be released is exciting and, after listening to his last recorded work, I know that there are plenty more treasures to come. There will never be another Gord Downie, and Away Is Mine is yet another stark reminder of why he is so very much missed.

October 16, 2020 • Gordieland/Arts & Crafts

Highlights Useless Nights • About Blank • Untitled

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