Review Summary: Samuel...you're back in the game.
I’ve been waiting for
Sam Roberts to revamp his musical sound for a while. When my friends and I listen to him casually we all have had the same opinion since
Love at the End of the World came out; sure he still sounds great and churns out some truly fantastic songs, but it all sounds similar. That 2008 effort was the first time Sam Roberts came off as a bit dried out. When he announced the band was making a subtle change to its name (now called
Sam Roberts Band), you had to expect that it was to signal he was about to head in a new direction with the band.
Collider is the result.
More than ever, you can see why the name was changed; it truly is a collaboration of all band members and not just Sam. You can hear the band members get in on the action on several occasions,
Without a Map sees other members jump in with Roberts:
I'm without a map, I’m walking into a trap
and there’s a white flag on the wind.
I surrender to the very mention of you.
I hope I get to see you again.
There’s even collaboration from guests as well, most notably cutie-pie Elizabeth Powell (lead singer of Montreal band
Land of Talk) on
Longitude. While I would have liked to see her sing a bit on her own instead of mixed with Sam, the song is a wonderful duet and well written. It's a good example of the theme Sam seems to maintain throughout the album, that being
escaping as both Powell and Roberts dreamily sing “We’re looking for a way out”.
The most drastic change has to be the jazzier sound with the addition of the saxophone. Sam Roberts called upon TV on the Radio’s Stuart Bogie for this and it is a welcome addition to the band. Second single and opener
The Last Crusade ends off with a sexy saxophone piece from Bogie and becomes the grooviest song on the album and of anything Sam Roberts has done in the past.
Let it In also has a bit of saxophone but even adds in a dose of the maraca to play a very beachy sounding tune. You could almost see the band serenading a casino crowd with this kind of stuff.
What has always impressed me about Sam Roberts is that in every album, it has NEVER been the singles that I liked the best. Somewhere hidden in each track list is a song that outdoes every single he releases. On
Chemical City it was
With a Bullet, on
Love at the End of the World it was
Sundance. Here,
Graveyard Shift is that track. The song reminds you of a young
Gordon Lightfoot at first, talking about working “sundown till the morning mist, starting my day with a moonlight kiss”. The song transitions into familiar territory with high-pitched dreamy organs and electric guitar in the background reminiscent of Robert’s old song
No Sleep.
So why a 3.5? While the album is arguably the most consistent Sam Roberts has made thus far, it does lack the punch that many of his other favourites had. Don’t expect him to top
Brother Down or
Hard Road on this album, none of the songs deliver that kind of catchiness. It’s all mellower and unfortunately has songs that pass by without much notice, examples being
No Arrows and
Streets of Heaven (Promises, Promises) . It's not as if these songs are too soft or quiet (an issue he's had with past songs), they just don’t offer much beyond easy-listening.
The album is solid and Sam Roberts has finally broken out of his shell to write music that seeks to evolve his sound as opposed to simply continuing it. He’s a spectacular Canadian artist and on
Collider he reminds us why.
Recommended Tracks:
The Last Crusade
Without a Map
Graveyard Shift
I Feel You
Partition Blues
