Search - Simon Joyner :: Lousy Dance

Veteran songwriter creates a masterpiece

10/24/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In a year filled with sub par music, the new release from simon joyner stands out in a big way. Recorded in Chicago with today's most talented session musicians (culled from groups such as boxhead ensemble, pinetop 7, and the vandermark 5 among others). the subtle, moving arrangements (courtesy of fred lonberg-holm) are a breathtaking accompaniment to joyner's dark, homespun tales of yearning, loss and redemption. Sounding at times not unlike an early leonard cohen if he had been under the spell of van dyke parks or sean o'hagan, Simon Joyner goes a step further to reveal a plainspoken honesty and vulnerablity that few other contemporary songwriters are willing to show. "the lousy dance" is a diamond in a sea of lackluster and unadventerous indie releases for 1999. For fans of: leonard cohen, jim o'rourke, nick drake, belle and sebastian, will oldham, ida, edith frost."