The Thorns — The Thorns

Have you ever felt middle-aged? Listening to this collaborative effort by Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins makes me feel my mortality - and I love it.

While Droge's career never lived up to the buzz that initially surrounded him (his biggest claim to fame is an appearance on the Dumb And Dumber soundtrack), Mullins and Sweet have faced mixed reviews, but retained loyal fan bases that might be a wee bit shocked to find this trio working together.

In spite of any misgivings, The Thorns is a lovely, gentle and very quiet record that highlights the gorgeous harmonies these boys create. Along with a bunch of originals, there's a Jayhawks cover, too ("Blue"). Although I'll probably see The Thorns in a bar, songs like "Long, Sweet Summer Night" remind me of nights spent at the Ontario Place Forum watching oldies bands with my parents. These songs and the way they're performed are timeless and inspire me to yell "turn down that noise" when I hear bass pumping on car stereos.

Get it from