Hayden

Elk-Lake Serenade
$14.98
Hayden is a beautiful artist. This most recent album is put together very well, and the recording is tight. One of the best indie-artists making music today, suprised he isn't more popular. The album starts off with a short soft song, "wide eyes" and then moves on the country twinged "home by saurday", which is my favorite song. His lyrics are some of the best little stories ever told. Over all this album is worthy of anyones collection, but although I gave it 5 stars, Skyscraper National Park is my favorite.

In Field & Town
$14.98
If you're into good music and terrific songwriting, you can't go wrong with any of Hayden's CDs. I've been a huge fan of his for over 10 years now and he keeps impressing me. I will say that it took me a bit longer to attach myself at the hip with this release even though it's the only Hayden CD I have a signed copy of. For whatever reason, it didn't strike me the way Hayden's other discs did. But it's very safe to say that I kept at it and fell in love with Hayden's music all over again. A very nice experience.

Another reviewer had said to see him live. That would be my suggestion as well. Hayden puts on great shows and does not disappoint. In Field & Town should rank up there with EILF, but we Hayden fans tend to hold that record on a pedestal.

Everything I Long For
$12.98
This album will always be near and dear to my heart. It was the first album I bought myself after seeing the "Bad as They Seem" video on 120 minutes many years past. That song was like nothing I had heard before, so I knew I had to have it. That was in 1996.

Today, when my ipod comes across the songs from this album, I fall in love with it all over again. The songs have haunted my brain for so many years. I loved the earnest innocence of "Stem." I was intrigued by the storyline of "Skates." To this day I will shamelessly sing along to "You Were Loved" and "I'm to Blame." Of course no one can forget "Bad as They Seem" as it's the catchiest song right off the bat, and you can't shake the terrifingly tragic "When This is Over," the oldest child's perspective of the Susan Smith murders. I could go on about how devoted to this album I am.

I own many other of Hayden's albums and this one, by far, is my most favorite to date. I would also consider it his most "hard rock" album, so to speak. If I were stuck on an island and could take only one album, it would be this one.

Skyscraper National Park
$14.98
Live at Convocation Hall provides a nice live supplement of songs featured on this album. I love the live album but the studio works are equally great. Hayden is a quirky song-writer, a craftsman, (I would call him a minimalist alt-folksinger but labels don't do any artist justice)- he can build an entire scene in a song shorter than a minute or two. There is nothing superfluous in his music, everything is just right. ("Streetcar" and "I Should Have Been Watching You" are my perennial favourites).

This is one of the best ways to get into Hayden. I still recommend the Live album in terms of his repertoire. But for studio albums, one of the most memorable and enjoyable. Also, Elk Lake Serenade and his newest album In Field and Town are equally fantastic.