| · Featuring members of Eric’s Trip, The Sadies and Blue Rodeo, this Canuck rock hodge podge is surprisingly cohesive.
At first thought the combination of Rick White’s post- Eric’s Trip lo-fi musings with Dallas Good’s tenure of twang in the Sadies may not turn out to be two great tastes that taste great together. When the two teamed up last year on Elevator’s trippy release Darkness –> Light (with Good in the producer’s seat) White’s sprawling style proved to be so overpowering as to bog the album down.
Despite this (and as a result of their longtime friendship) the two have re-teamed, this time with even more musical members. White’s wife (and the other member of Elevator) is noticeably absent, but in her place are the remaining members of the Sadies and Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo fame. Proving that the incestuous nature of the music industry can be used for good instead of evil, the self-titled debut from The Unintended comes across like the indie younger brother version of Blue Rodeo’s Five Days In July.
Recorded in six days in March 2003 in Keelor’s home studio, The Unintended do indeed bear White’s hazy psych-rock stamp, however this time out he lies in the minority and the other five members have enough power to keep him in check. Punching through the songs drenched in delay are plinky acoustic guitar solos, haunting organ lines and percussion that drives a lot more than White usually allows.
While it is surprising that the band has been able to wrestle this much control away from White, it’s even more surprising how cohesive this record turns out to be. Instead of sounding like a repository for b-sides from each respective band, The Unintended forge a sound of their own. The Sadies have backed everyone from Neko Case to John Langford, but here they come out of the shadows and are treated as full-fledged contributors. The marriage of their lonely cowboy soundtracks with White’s murky dirges makes this union far more successful than their past collaborations. Keelor, who produced the last album by the Sadies, shows up in only a performance capacity while Good and White split production duties. Together they create moody waltzes that float lazily on an array of mid-tone. Trading off vocals in a manner that is surprisingly unifying, The Unintended provide a soundtrack to winter that is bleak yet complete.
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