Hayden Albums (7)
'Place Where We Lived'
Release Date 5/26/2009
Tracks 10
Label Hardwood
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Fans of Iron & Wine didn't have to wait long before Sam Beam's hushed, lo-fi recordings gave way to the Technicolor lushness of Woman King and The Shepherd's Dog. Hayden, on the other hand, has spent more than a decade creating somber, subdued music, which makes In Field & Town such a startlingly pleasant change. Hayden hasn't done away with the intimacy of his previous work, nor does the singer's seventh studio album change his melancholic nature. For all intents and purposes, In Field & Town paints the same picture as Elk-Lake Serenade and The Closer I Get, but it does so with brighter colors and wider brush strokes, capturing the slow demise of a relationship with a mix of pianos, trumpets, guitars, vibraphones, harmonica, and percussion. It's always autumn or winter in Hayden's world, and these 11 tracks bypass the springlike feel of puppy love, focusing instead on the unraveling of hope and adoration. "Take it easy," he cautions on the opening title track, a song whose chugging bass loop and percussion clash with the foreboding lyrics. "I see us around this uptight town," it continues, "with emptiness just weighing us down." That weight gets heavier as the album progresses, and Hayden begins lamenting his lover's estrangement just three songs later with "Worthy of Your Esteem." But while that track is certainly heartbroken, it's also orchestrated with lighthearted synths, harmonies, and knotted guitar solos. Songs like "Did I Wake Up Beside You" and "Where and When" continue the light-and-dark contrast, with Hayden's vocals spinning solemn stories over riffs that bounce and shine in a dusty, Americana-styled way. There are detours from that pattern -- most notably the elegiac portrayal of a security guard who excels at origami ("Lonely Security Guard") -- but In Field & Town is mostly concerned with Hayden's heartbreak, and it details those emotions with variety and taste. ~ Andrew Leahey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Elk-Lake Serenade is the kind of album Neil Young wishes he could still make. It's an intimate, heartfelt, and organic record with one foot in the lo-fi camp of Beck and Will Oldham and the other in the classic rock sound of Crosby, Dylan, Petty, and Young. Especially Young. Despite some outward appearances, Hayden isn't slavishly aping Neil Young here; it's more like they are dipping their ladles into the same mountain stream. Maybe he is a bit downstream from Young, but that's not a bad place to be. Hayden's lyrics are much more personal and clever than Young's, anyhow. Whether writing dorky odes to his cat on "Woody," breaking hearts on sad tracks like "This Summer," or sharing ghost stories on "1939," he keeps things pretty simple and true. The sound of the record is also true and arrow straight. Built on acoustic guitars with little splashes of color like handclaps, tooting horn sections, and subtle strings, the record sounds remarkably large in its smallness. Hayden is in fine voice, tender and sweet with a fragile quality. Listen to him caress the lyrics on a slow ballad like "Looking Back to Me"; he's a torch singer at heart. The mostly subdued tempos are very conducive to his late-night feel and never get boring, because he varies them by degrees and includes a couple songs like the loping "Hollywood Ending" and the thumping rocker "My Wife" to break the melancholic haze and give the album some excitement. Not that one comes to a Hayden record looking for excitement. You come looking for introspective tunes with a fresh sound and unique lyrical bent. Elk-Lake Serenade delivers on this expectation in full. It may just be his finest record yet. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
'Live at Convocation Hall'
Release Date 9/10/2002
Tracks 22
Label Badman
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Following the evocatively mellow Skyscraper National Park, Hayden decided to tour the North American continent all by his lonesome, bringing his acoustic guitar, wavering voice, and unexpected humor to small clubs and theaters. This double-CD set captures the singer/songwriter in his hometown of Toronto performing 22 songs from his extensive catalog in front of a theater filled with appreciative fans. The recording is a beautiful testament to the stripped-down beauty of the songs, and with material from his three records, new songs, a few obscure cult favorites, and the obligatory Neil Young cover, not to mention some beautiful packaging, this is a real treat for any fan. New tunes like the goofy ode to his cat, "Woody," or the eerie love vs. obsession tale "Holster" will surely get folks excited for whatever follows this disc, but it's the solo renditions of classics like "We Don't Mind," "Between Us to Hold," and "Stem" that really steal the show. Hayden's trademark stage banter, a witty and unexpected contrast to his often depressing songs, is all over the record, and it only serves to add to the already personal sound of the evening, making Live at Convocation Hall a true live record and not just a note-for-note reiteration of his studio work. It's a strong accomplishment, and if you were unlucky enough to have missed this intimate string of shows, it's a document that comes close to bringing the experience into your own home. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo, All Music Guide
'Skyscraper National Park'
Release Date 1/1/2001
Tracks 11
Label Hardwood
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
In the three years that took place between Toronto singer/songwriter Hayden's 1998 Everything I Long For LP, the fragile-sounding musician all but disappeared from vision, only to slip back into the public eye with his third full-length disc, the provocatively low-key Skyscraper National Park. As the story goes, the record was recorded at the singer's home with a few close friends, and with no real contract or label, Hayden chose to release only 100 copies of the disc in his own handmade packaging. Thankfully for everyone else, the demand was much higher than expected, and the originally impossible-to-find record was given a full release. A record with such a lengthy back-story is often over-hyped and underdeveloped, but Hayden isn't exactly the norm. The record is a quiet affair, and the singer's normally monstrous low range is more prone to a falsetto for the length of the record, but it doesn't change the effect of brilliant tracks like "Dynamite Walls" or "Long Way Down." There really aren't any weak points on the 11-track effort, and as expected, the LP is a swirl of emotions and sentimentality -- all of which avoid being sappy and instead come across as unequivocally honest. Skyscraper National Park is an amazing record that tells its entire story with a hushed voice and subdued instrumentation, but is still more affecting then being screamed at for hours on end. Hayden rarely disappoints, and this slight variance from his older work is simply a new direction for his masterful songwriting. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Closer I Get is quite similar to Hayden's debut, Everything I Long For, in almost every sense. Its hushed, spare arrangements, largely built around acoustic guitars, will be familiar to anyone who heard the first record, as will his declarative vocals and simple prose. Even if The Closer I Get is simply more of the same, Hayden does his lo-fi folk quite well, and there are a number of songs here that come close to equaling the best moments from the debut. It should satisfy fans, but its melodic sameness may prevent it from finding a wider audience. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Everything I Long For'
Release Date 5/21/1996
Tracks 14
Label Outpost
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Solitary, rootsy post-punk of the best kind, delving into somewhat dark and twisted terrrain, but invested with a lot of passion and unflinching grit. The sparse and haunting arrangements put acoustic guitars at the forefront, but vary the pace with occasional searing licks, eerie solo piano, and harmony vocals. It's one of the relatively few releases of this type that will find a comfortable home in the collections of those with an ear for either stark folk-rock or grunge. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
