(photo: Hardwood Records)

I remember when Hayden was being touted by some (sad sack) Canadian music press journalists as “Canada’s Beck”.  The comparison did him no favours.  A two-year old would have been able to tell you that, A) Heyden Desser sounds nothing like Beck Hansen, and B) why on earth would we need a “Canadian Beck”?  While initially Hayden’s albums sounded like a rag-tag collection of grunge rock and alt country, over the years he’s grown to be far less an experimentalist than his so-called American counterpart, and more akin to the traditions of the singer-songwriter than anything approximating Odelay.

In the 14 years since he first gained widespread prominence with the release of Everything I Long For, Hayden has amassed an impressive canon of music that has mellowed and settled into a comfortable maturity.  On his new album, The Place Where We Lived, he explores the more painful side of love.  An album of break-up songs is never going to be a party record, but there’s still a joyful bounce to tracks like “Let’s Break Up” that almost make you forget the heart-wrenching lyrics contained therein.

The Place Where We Lived is out now on Hardwood Records, Hayden’s long-time home.  While his official site doesn’t list any upcoming performances, I would imagine that sooner than later, he’ll be out on the road visiting the places where we live with this impressive collection of songs.

MP3: Hayden “Let’s Break Up”
Myspace: Hayden