Records We Missed '09:: Broken Deer Our Small Going

'09 or................. '06 I guess. When Lindsay Dobbin - aka Broken Deer - recorded Our Small Going, it was a DIY release that got some great press (and had different title), but when you are isolated from large urban centers and tucked away in Whitehorse, it's tough to build a fan base no matter how good the songs are.

Thankfully, good music will always eventually get heard, and with the support of the Gandhara project - they do amazing runs of 100, hoping that the unique sounds and cover art draw you in - you can pick up a copy of the reissue. Considering the songs were written and recorded in '06, they stand the critical test of time. The former Halifax based Dobbins could easily nestle into a lineup with Ghost Bees or countless other folkies from the North End, but her songs are more than just a cross section of the sounds of a scene.

Tape hiss, loops, delays and warbles give forgotten childhood memories a tender intimacy and surprisingly accessible feel, but it's her take on decay - not of society, but man-made objects that littered her families property - that make this record so enjoyable. Somehow she's able to give the slow, inevitable process of decomposition a touching human quality, without drifting into countless metaphors about death. I have no idea where the record was recorded but at the end of the day, it strikes me as the result of a woman sitting in a room, alone, playing music that comes from her soul.

I've also posted a copy of a new song - White Woman to give you an idea where Lindsay's sound is going (short answer, somewhere interesting and delightfully dark, a bedroom project that makes the walls feel thousands of kilometers apart).

MP3:: Broken Deer - Face on the River Side

MP3:: Broken Deer - White Woman

MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/brokendeer
BUY:: http://www.gandhararecordings.org/dm/albumpage.php?id=3

Labels: Broken Deer, Canada, Music, Whitehorse, yukon