IN REVIEW: The Sadies - "Colder Streams"

It's impossible to separate The Sadies' eleventh studio album from the tragedy that surrounds it, even if it's not informed in any way by it; though it was completed last summer, Colder Streams is released mere months after the shocking and untimely death of co-founder/vocalist/guitarist Dallas Good. His loss will be deeply felt by many, especially family and peers in the music community, for a long time to come; that said, the album that contains his presumed final contributions is a hell of a note to go out on, as it were.

Coming five years after previous LP Northern Passages, Colder Streams further refines the psych-tinged, smoky roots rock the group have been perfecting since their inception close to a quarter century ago. Clocking in at a lean 32 minutes, this is a taut and filler-free distillation of what's made The Sadies one of Canada's most endeared rock bands. Assisted by the production of Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry, Colder Streams also features perhaps the best attempt yet at capturing the interplay and energy of The Sadies' formidable live performances on record.

It's difficult to choose true highlights, as the quality in songwriting, production and musicianship is so consistently high throughout; the sinister, nocturnal grooves that have become hallmarks of the band's sound are present across the track list, offering a listening experience that remains as intriguing and enjoyable at the end as it is from the beginning. That's not to say all of the songs sound the same, but rather they touch upon all of the group's influences and sweet spots in a way that's masterfully executed and all encompassing, showcasing the variety in what they're capable of through seamless transitions and subtle adjustments in tone and mood.

So, whether they're channeling the raggedness of Neil Young on Stop and Start, tickling the imagination with the hazy Message to Belial, wrangling some wild, starlit western tones on More Alone, reaching back for a Byrds-like power pop groove on So Far for So Few, unleashing dark Americana on All the Good, hitting their psychedelic sweet spot on No One's Listening, tapping into harrowing sadness on You Should Be Worried, nodding in not so subtle fashion to their punk influences on Better Yet, churning out plucky gallows country on Cut Up High and Dry, banging out fleet footed garage rock on Ginger Moon or putting a dense, reverb soaked bow on the album on instrumental closer End Credits, each and every facet of The Sadies' sound is present, accounted for, and done right.

Where they go from here is anyone's guess, but they will probably never craft an album of such a quality again; while this is seemingly not the end for The Sadies (they are continuing to tour, as a trio), Colder Streams is a stark and excellent record that undoubtedly punctuates a thoroughly effective and ultimately heartbreaking chapter in their story.

July 22, 2022 • Dine Alone

Highlights All the Good • No One's Listening • Ginger Moon

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2011 Nominee: Sam Roberts Band

SAM ROBERTS BAND I Feel You From: Collider Released: May 10 Having already endured the breakout success ( Brother Down was Canada's it rock song of 2002), the tentative dabbling in the U.S. market, as is the rite of passage for all moderately successful Canuck artists (2003's debut We Were Born in a Flame was the best time to try; one of the best albums of the year, it made a small dent in the American mindset upon its release there a year later), the difficult, druggy third album (the aptly named 2005 disc Chemical City ), and the subdued creative step backward (2008's Love at the End of the World , aside from hit single Them Kids , was really kinda bland), it seems according to script that Sam Roberts would start settling in on his fourth album (and first with the band credited as equal contributors), Collider (you know, I think it was a bad idea to give me brackets). Well, as far as settling in goes, Roberts does and doesn't on Collider . W...

IN REVIEW: Rancid - "Trouble Maker"

As far as punk rock goes, it's hard to name a hotter hot streak than the trio of records Rancid cranked out between 1995 and 2000; the star making ...And Out Come the Wolves , the far-reaching Life Won't Wait and their balls-to-the-wall second self-titled album solidly positioned Rancid as leaders of the second generation of punk. It also preceded a period of slow progression, as Rancid would take eleven years to release their next three records. By the time ...Honor Is All We Know came in 2014, many fans (myself included) had to wonder whether or not this was the end of the road. Such concerns are handily dealt with on the closing track of the standard edition of their ninth record, the positively punishing This Is Not the End . Well, okay then, that's sorted. Now, what of this new record? What do we make of the use of their original logo on the cover, a logo that hasn't graced a Rancid record in 25 years? Is this a throwback to the band's heyday, a new begin...

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