After my first listen to Ian North’s gorgeous new album, “Everything is Incomplete,” released on August 4th, I was reminded of this quote from Canadian legend Glenn Gould: “The purpose of art is not the release of a momentary ejection of adrenalin but is, rather, the gradual, lifelong construction of a state of wonder and serenity.” How aptly these few words capture the achievement of Ian North’s songs and lyrics, in his long awaited third album and continuing exploration of fallen angel folk.
The twelve songs were written and compiled largely throughout a long two-year period of convalescence following Ian’s life altering health event, when he suffered a double-lung pulmonary embolism which caused his heart to stop three times over a two-hour period. Fortunately for us, the Ontario based folk-jazz guitarist has recovered sufficiently to record and perform these heart-rending, Americana flavoured, deeply reflective, nostalgia tinged and insightful portraits of times past, situational characters and universal questioning.
Following his acclaimed 2006 sophomore album, “Theory of Your Life,” which introduced audiences to North’s work followed by a major UK tour, “Everything is Incomplete” sails and soars through a rarified stratosphere before bringing us back down to earth. Both in its meticulously crafted compositions, North’s nuanced guitar overlays, and fully realised production by multi-instrumentalist Chris Gartner, every track offers surprising treasures.
North’s love for lyric and word play is evident throughout, offering tales of compelling complexity and mystery. In fact, it’s this sense of mystery that pervades each and every tune that makes the album such a gem. This is thoughtful, purposeful music meant to be listened to and received sincerely.
“There was lightning out across the lake / We were waiting for the heat to break / In the park that summer night / We were held like satellites / Just where weightlessness takes hold / For a second and then we fold / Back into gravity and rise / Again, toward the stormy skies / And we swing above the world so high / Go so fast but never say goodbye / With space and time conspiring / As we write the history of swings”
From “History of Swings,” one of the more memorable songs in this collection, North demonstrates his gifted acumen for poetry set to melody. Sung in a spiraling stacked harmony, it ascends as if toward some ethereal, fully realized understanding only to recognize that, like his love of crossword puzzles, elegiac inferences and metaphysical conundrums, everything is incomplete, everything is incomplete.
Learn more about Ian North here: https://www.iannorthmusic.com/
Douglas McLean fell in love with music at a very early age and has worked as a musician and songwriter since his early teens. He has a deep love for the written word and has spent his life in pursuit of language as a means to convey what Van Morrison once called “the inarticulate speech of the heart”. He lives deep in the Almaguin Highlands with his wife and their dog. Douglas is active in local radio, recording, producing and writing, in and around Huntsville, Ontario.
His website is:
http://www.douglasmcleanmusic.com
