Here we go again. In 2012,
Cowboy Junkies released
The Nomad Series box set, which compiled the four records they released during an ambitious 18-month period. They also included a bonus fifth disc of tracks that didn't make the albums.
Notes Falling Slow is similar in concept, but reaches further back into their Zoe catalog. Included here are remastered versions of 2001's Open, 2004's
One Soul Now, and 2007's
At the End of Paths Taken. These albums were cut during a key transitional period for the band, whose members were having children and discovering the meaning of settling down. Open offered the group at their psychedelic, bluesy best;
One Soul Now picked up right where it left off.
At the End of Paths Taken is the most unusual record on the
Cowboy Junkies' shelf. It's a song cycle about the relationships that constitute family, from nuclear to chosen to global. The fourth disc in this box is made up of tunes that didn't make these three albums. But this part of
Notes Falling Slow is not a compilation of pre-recorded misfits. While these songs were written during sessions for the aforementioned records, some were not completed, others were not demoed, and finally, some were cut but ultimately rejected. No matter the origin, all nine of these selections have been newly recorded, amounting to a new (albeit relatively brief, at 35 minutes)
Cowboy Junkies album. (A different version of "Shrike" made it onto an iTunes session; this one contains no bridge.) Opener "Also One" and "Morning Cried" are swirling psychedelic rockers that showcase the band's more aggressive side. According to
Michael Timmins' blog, written especially for this box, the sparse, devastating "Ikea Parking Lot" is the saddest song he's ever written (and that's saying something). "So They Say" is a lonesome country rocker, while this version of "The Slide" is an acoustic waltz with vocalist
Margo Timmins delivering the lyric at her most tender, disillusioned, and vulnerable. The remastered versions of the catalog albums are more intuitive in their warmth and use of space. The unreleased material comes across as all of a piece in its sequencing. Given its very inexpensive price tag,
Notes Falling Slow is an essential acquisition for fans.