The Vivian Line

ジュノ賞を複数回獲得するカナダの偉大なソングライター、ロン・セクスミス。
リッチなバロック風のポップスを鳴らす17枚目のアルバム。

ロン・セクスミスはニュー・アルバム『The Vivian Line』をリリース。これは、ロンの17枚目のアルバムで、自身によって書かれ、演奏された12曲の新曲が収録されている。「The Vivian Lineは、僕らが住んでいるストラトフォード(オンタリオ州)のすぐ近くにある田舎道だ。街を離れなければならないときは、いつでもThe Vivian Lineに飛び乗り、高速道路へと乗り出す。ここに引っ越してきた時、この名前を不思議に思って、興味をそそられたんだ。それは、まるで、トロントでの古い生活から新しい段階への脱出を表しているようだ。一方、昔の生活に戻らなければならない時の入り口みたいなものでもある。レコーディングはナッシュビルでBrad Jones(プロデューサーでパワー・ポップのシンガー/ソングライター。Josh Rouse、Cotton Mather、Chuck Prophet、Matthew Sweet、Imperial Drag、Jill Sobule、Marshall Crenshaw等のプロデュースをおこなう)とおこなった。Bradは僕の以前のレコード、『Other Songs』、『Whereabouts』、『Blue Boy』の3枚でベースを弾いている。『The Vivian Line』のサウンドはとても贅沢で、ほとんどバロック風のポップスで、『Whereabouts』の遠い親戚のような作品だ。曲のほとんどは、自分自身が置かれている人生のステージや、すべてを理解しようとしていることにインスパイアされたものだ」とロンは語る。

Ron Sexsmith usually sounds like a homebody, and not in a bad way. Hes a man who writes songs about people in a way thats warm and just a touch sentimental without getting sticky or maudlin, and his stories have a recognizable quality that acknowledges the commonalities of the human experience, told from a perspective that makes them feel special. 2020s Hermitage was recorded at his home in the suburbs of Stratford, Ontario, and sounded like the work of a man thoroughly enjoying making music while also puttering around the house. However, after a couple years of being locked in by circumstance rather than choice (a global pandemic, for instance), practically anyone would want to get outside for a while, and for 2023s The Vivian Line, Sexsmith headed to Nashville to work with producer Brad Jones, who played bass and keys on a few of his albums of the late 1990s and early 2000s. In terms of the songs, The Vivian Line sounds very much like the work of the guy who made Hermitage, a fellow who takes joy in observing the small things in life and how much they can come to matter. But working with Jones, Sexsmith has tricked up the arrangements in ways he hasnt embraced in his more recent work, and in some ways The Vivian Line recalls the smart baroque pop Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake conjured for Sexsmith on his first three albums. However, instead of using stacks of tape-loop keyboards and vintage synths, Jones and Sexsmith used actual strings and woodwinds, as well as more organic keyboard and guitar sounds. The music has a warmth and naturalism that puts Sexsmiths songs in their best light, and the grand irony is The Vivian Line captures the sound of Sexsmith the neighborhoods resident genius songwriter in a more effective way than Hermitage. Theres a playful quality in several of the songs thats witty without trivializing his characters, whether theyre converting an old barn into a home or realizing how lucky in love theyve been, and when hes feeling a bit sad, as in "Flower Boxes" and "When Our Love Was New," it feels real and honest, never forced. On "Outdated and Antiquated," Sexsmith seems content to seem a bit behind the times ("Outdated and antiquated, I belong in the past/ The future’s uncertain, and today can’t last"), but hes smart enough to know it works for him, and on The Vivian Line, he hits the sweet spot between challenging himself and not fixing what isnt broke. Its a gem. ~ Mark Deming

ナッシュヴィルに赴き、旧知のブラッド・ジョーンズをプロデューサーに立てて作られた、『Hermitage』以来の新作。特徴は、フォーキー・バラードの先行曲"When Our Love Was New"などストリングス・セクションが効力を発揮する曲が多いこと。ときにノスタルジックな空気を醸成する役割を果たし、深みのある色合いと味わい深いフォルムを生み出している。名作『Whereabouts』の世界がより格調高くなってよみがえった感じと言えようか。
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