Evening Hymns — Spirit Guides

Before picking up this disc, I'd never heard of Evening Hymns (a.k.a. Peterborough, Ont.'s Jonas Bonetta). Now, I suddenly see this album everywhere I turn. There's obviously a cumulative ball of attention starting to roll for this guy, but is it deserved?

In short, yes. By the end of Spirit Guides' second song, I was already backtracking to relisten.

Although Bonetta claims most of the credit for this album, it's evident he isn't working alone. This more closely resembles a band creation than a solo effort. There are shades of Doves here, and also a hint of the melodicism that makes The Wooden Sky and The Deep Dark Woods so enjoyable.

On the whole, the mood of this debut full-length (Bonetta has previously released a long-player under his own name) is akin to The Acorn's Glory Hope Mountain. There's a recording of a thunderstorm (five minutes long!) near the disc's end — "November 1st 2008, Lakefield, Ontario" — that somehow manages to stand out as the album's highlight.

None of these songs are immediately spectacular and maybe that's a good thing. It means this is the sort of disc you won't quickly get tired of.

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