Every New Year, after spending countless hours arranging and rearranging your top 20 best albums of the previous year (you're all music reviewers, right?), you encounter an album that should have been ranked highly on your list. Whether you believe it or not, this album will become the opening chapter of your new year, and you curse yourself every day for not knowing about it early enough to include it amongst your other year-end winners. So was the case for me, as I unknowingly shoved aside one of 2003’s best musical achievements in my delusional efforts to construct my best album list.
I would describe Jim Guthrie’s Now More Than Ever as a dreamy escapade through lush soundscapes. Although the musicianship on the record is extremely passive, it soothes your inner spirit and procures a feeling of warm contentment. With admirable guest appearances from members of such highly prolific Canadian bands as The Constantines, Royal City, and Hidden Cameras, Jim Guthrie has created a masterful soundtrack of peace and tranquility, similar to the crowning achievement of another earthly troubadour, named Sufjan Stevens. Standout tracks like "Lovers Do" and "All Gone" show a harmonious side of Jim Guthrie that previously refused to show itself beneath his lo-fi commitment to introspective tranquility. But this awkward lo-fi uneasiness is relinquished in favor for a wider musical palette, using string arrangements, acoustic guitar strums, and a plethora of hidden sounds and noise. And it leaves you breathless.
Now More Than Ever is a good indication that there are a lot of records I might have missed from 2003. And to think that I had Jim Guthrie’s record for an entire month before I actually listened to it. What a shame! But again, I have started my new year on the right path, choosing to immerse myself in the grandeur and beauty of Jim Guthrie’s masterpiece. With such passionate conviction and compelling ballads, Jim Guthrie has created a beautiful record filled with all the necessary elements to rank it amongst the best of 2003.
1. Problem With Solutions
2. All Gone
3. So Small
4. Save It
5. Broken Chair
6. Lovers Do
7. Time Is A Force
8. Now More Then Ever
9. The Evangelist
10. You Are Far (Do You Exist?)
1. Problem With Solutions
2. All Gone
3. So Small
4. Save It
5. Broken Chair
6. Lovers Do
7. Time Is A Force
8. Now More Then Ever
9. The Evangelist
10. You Are Far (Do You Exist?)