Concept albums are just about the riskiest thing a musician can attempt. The musical landscape is littered with failures from some of the biggest musical acts of all time who - like Icarus - have succumbed to their hubris and flown too high. This is followed closely by the second hardest feat in music: The multiple disc format (a double or triple album). To attempt both would be the sort of doublebarreled ego-stroke you would expect from the likes of Kiss or U2. But from a humble Nova Scotian by the name of Joel Plaskett? Hardly.
And yet, here we are discussing Three, his multi-disc narrative of leaving, feeling alone, and finally coming back. It is ambitious, clever and at times thought provoking but the material is rarely as epic as the undertaking itself.
First some background. I've been a big Plaskett fan dating back to Thrush Hermit, and his other two solo albums and of course his work as Joel Plaskett Emergency. I think he's one of the perennial Canadian song writers and deserves any and all recognition he gets. But if he was going to be acknowledged for a Polaris Prize it would have made a whole lot more sense to honour his last album - Ashtray Rock (an extremely well executed concept album).
Why? Because this album - while good - is not Plaskett at his best. Sure there are flashes of his story telling, the amazing way he can turn a phrase or his genre busting style. But the truth is, he suffers the same fate so many other musicians did before him trying to churn out multi-disc albums...he just runs out of steam.
The length also makes it a tough album to review...but that's what you're here to read, so I'll oblige. First off, there are no direct miss steps that I can point to. The songs are solid for the most part, save for a few that are either long winded or just not memorable. Songs like Through & Through & Through are good ol' Plaskett doing what he does best. Wishful Thinking is the drowsy blues you've heard before and On & On & On (noticing a theme?) is Canadian folk greatness (big shoutout to Ana Egge and Rose Cousins who feature prominently on Three). But that's only three songs off a 27 song album...yes, 27 songs.
The other sticking point for me is that as Plaskett has aged so has his music. In his aforementioned Thrush Hermit days it felt like the music was barely being held together, at any moment ready to fly apart. Thrush Hermit sounded like four guys trying to break a song - pushing it to it's very limits and forcing it to submit. Now the songs are tidy, rehearsed and fit together properly. Granted, this is to be expected as a musician matures and gains more control of his craft, but it feels like there's a sense of restraint and belts being tightened here. Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of these stagnant fans who assumes his favourite bands will forever produce the music that made them famous, but there is something oddly discomforting watching them age in front of you.
This sounds like a bad review, and that's not altogether true. This is not a bad album by any stretch, but being familiar with his previous work I'm just not sold that his has the same relevance or impact as his last two offerings. Plaskett should definitely be commended for his efforts here. He's tried and nearly achieved what very few other rock luminaries would never attempt for fear of falling flat on their face. Plaskett never falls down, but he doesn't quite knock it out of the park either - more like a triple.
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