November Music

On the first of every month, I'll pick an album that sonically defines each month. November's pick: Favourite Colours, The Sadies (2004)

Around these parts, my autumn listening tendencies veer heavily towards alt-country; I'm convinced that steel guitars cause temperature drops. So while there were a handful of albums that I could've picked here (Varnaline's Songs In A Northern Key, Ryan Adams' Heartbreaker, Willard Grant Conspiracy's Mojave), I'm going with the album that first popped into my head when I thought "November": The Sadies' excellent 2004 release, Favourite Colours. (That said, I reserve the right to talk about those albums later this month.)

When I reviewed this album for Popmatters upon its release, I wrote, "In order to set the proper listening mood for Favourite Colours, the fifth album from Canadian surf rock/psychedelic/garage/alt-country stalwarts the Sadies, I suggest waiting for a day where the sky is as slate gray as the album’s cover is." (Yup, that's the actual album cover on the left; it's not a black and white scan.) It was true then, and it's true now; the album seems custom-made for a day with a low, gray sky, a chill in the air and a crunchy bed of dead leaves beneath your feet. It also helps that the album is the closest the Sadies' have come to replicating the sound of one of the musical kings of autumn: The Byrds. Opener "Northumberland West" recalls one of my favorite Byrds' songs, "Psychodrama City," and nearly every other track wouldn't have sounded out of place on Sweetheart of the Rodeo.

November ain't all sunshine and lollipops, and Favourite Colours is the perfect album to begin hunkering down for the winter.

The Sadies at MySpace
Favourite Colours review at Popmatters
The Sadies at Yep Roc