SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: GREAT LAKE SWIMMERS – LIVE AT THE REDEEMER 2007

Great Lake Swimmers
Live At The Redeemer 2007
Weewerk Recordings

Some of the (somewhat older) readers might remember the good ole commercial for Memorex cassette tapes: “Is it live, or is it Memorex?”. For some (good) reason, that is actually the first thing that came to mind listening to Great Lake Swimmers latest album Live At The Redeemer 2007.

Quite a simple reason really. It really doesn’t matter whether Tony Dekker and the band were playing in the studio or live. They were never artists that relied on studio trickery or excessive overdubbing. For them, it was always the case on relying on Dekker’s exquisite songwriting and vocals. Whatever embellishments there were, it was exactly the ones you can get live on stage.

And it always seemed to be impeccable, like on this live recording at Toronto’s Church of The Redeemer. What extra embellishments we get are the guest appearances of Basia Bulat (backing vocals), Owen Pallett (violin), and Bob Egan (pedal steel), along with Dekker and the rest of the band.

Going through some sort of their best, Great Lake Swimmers add some sort of an aura, that unmissable touch of a live recording, whether the audience cheers or claps or not.

Brilliant, to say the least. File along Cowboy Junkies The Trinity Session with ease. That good.

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