Geoff Berner With Diona Davies And Wayne Adams — The Wedding Dance Of The Widow Bride

The Wedding Dance is another of accordion-toting punk Geoff Berner's klezmer explorations, inspired by song concepts from the Jewish wedding ritual. Despite the premise, it's unique, edgy, sometimes hilarious and sometimes dark as hell. You'll never think about weddings the same way after listening to the trilogy of "bride" songs and "Song To Reconcile." Other highlights include the clattering, blistering cover of Leonard Cohen's "Queen Victoria" and the biting, boozy "Can't Stay Dry." Berner is supported by fiddle virtuoso Diona Davies and percussionist Wayne Adams, whose carefully wrought performances alternately tiptoe around Berner's quieter moments, and rise up furiously when the pace turns frenetic. Berner's sharp, acerbic storytelling is wildly addictive and marks him as one of Canada's most clever and fearless songwriters.