(photo: James Mejia)

At a show in Toronto (more like a gala, really) on Monday night, a lot of talk centered on a certain young woman who was playing with two different acts on the 10-artist bill:  Julie Fader is a musician’s musician, a multi-instrumentalist whose skills go beyond mere interpretation of others music to making her own.  As a member of both Great Lake Swimmers and appearing with Chad VanGaalen on his soft Airplane LP, she’s had a pretty hectic and busy year.  Before that, Fader featured prominently with Sarah Harmer’s band, so she’s clearly  no slouch when it comes to the Canadian indie music scene.

It’s time for Fader to take the spotlight herself, now:  Outside In is her debut solo album, and it’s just fresh off the presses.  Fader’s friends stop by to lend her a hand:  Harmer drops by, as does Tony “GLS” Dekker; VanGaalen and Justin Rutledge make an appearance, too, while Holy Fuck’s Graham Walsh produced the whole affair.  And what an affair it is.  Outside In is the quintessential Canadian indie album: mellow without inducing sleepiness, acoustic with a sprinkling of techno-noodling, singer-songwriter style lyrics that hide more than they reveal, expansive in scope while sounding like it was recorded by a group of friends in a weekend.  It’s like she took the indie rock checklist and made sure nary a box was left unmarked, but it’s far from being formulaic and stock.

Outside In is the kind of album you swear you’ve heard somewhere else before.  Like a city that’s instantly familiar even though you have never visited it before, Outside In induces déjà vu-like in the listener as they travel down musical routes that remind you of roads previously taken, like how “Skin and Bones” reminds me of Julie Doiron.  But, where Julie F. and Julie D. differ is the path they choose to take:  where Doiron’s songs are rickety, threadbare arrangements, Fader layers her songs like warm pullovers over plaid flannel shirts.  With each new addition, the songs seem to radiate warmth and beg you to curl up with them and snuggle.  I don’t want to say she’s got a slicker sound, but it certainly sounds like production wasn’t just an afterthought on Outside In.  Walsh was spun a smooth, silken cocoon around Fader, and safe within its shell, she’s transforming into a thing of beauty.  The dreamy “Goodbye Before Hello” is the perfect showcase for her fragile, and agile vocals.  The delicate “723″ (which appeared earlier this year on the (weewerk) Records anniversary album) in a haunting duet with Tony Dekker that sounds very much like their other band, but the female lead vocals gives the acoustic instruments a strength and passion that Lost Channels seems to lack.  I’m not calling Tony Dekker a sissy, mind you, but I’m just sayin’.

I would hate for the public to dismiss this LP as being the product of Fader’s collaborations and guest performers, as opposed to being very much her own work.  Sure, she’s got an impressive list of players, but that’s telling you just how highly regarded her own talent is.  That familiarity I mentioned before?  I think it comes from the strength and conviction Fader presents in these songs.  She’s delivered a fully formed and mature sounding album, which seems to be very rare in debut albums these days.  I’m loving this one.

MP3: Julie Fader “Goodbye Before Hello”
Myspace: Julie Fader
Facebook: Julie Fader
Twitter: Julie Fader