Simon Joyner: Out Into the Snow
September 10th, 2009 by Chad Radford in Listening Stack
Simon Joyner has reached an apex with Out into the Snow. Or maybe he reached it in ‘06 with Skeleton Blues. Or perhaps it was with 2004’s Lost with the Lights On…. . The point is Out Into the Snow is another link in a chain of crystalline, post-Dylan perfection. Flawed characters wandering aimlessly throughout a bucolic Midwestern backdrop fill Joyner’s songs. “The Arsonist” and “Ambulances” are intimate looks into these lives that glow with memories. “Last Evening on Earth” is a dark and drunken dirge, and “Sunday Morning Song for Sara” is recorded with such stark clarity it captures every nuance of every quivering breath and every stroke of guitar. These details add rich depth to the album’s lush arrangements of horns, strings and Joyner’s imperfect wailing, creating one more chapter in a beautifully resigned body of song. (Team Love) 4 out of 5 stars
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