Simon Joyner
The Christine EP
Secretly Canadian
Simon Joyner
Yesterday Tomorrow and In Between
Sing, Eunuchs!
The Christine EP caused a stir here. Only after a few listens did I know Joyner was serious about what he was doing. He’ll probably go walking on in obscurity, comfortable enough with the knowledge that he can take the heaviness of regret, loneliness, and distrust and let them slide off his tongue with the concerned confidence of a friend who puts his hand on your shoulder and says, “hey man, you’re gonna be alright.” Who is this Simon Joyner? Why are his albums so hard to find? How has he gone unnoticed for so long? Secretly Canadian is doing us a favor by collecting these songs that may have fallen through the cracks. Still, I didn’t want to write a review on the five songs presented on Christine without hearing other releases. I wanted to be able to say more than “for fans of early Bob Dylan.” As if reading my mind, Midwestern label Sing, Eunuchs! sent me Yesterday Tomorrow and Inbetween, a hefty double CD which comes across more as a collection of short stories than as an album. Now this is going sound corny, but what really gets me about this album are the moments of unexpected beauty and danger. The pianist isn’t some hack playing a few random notes to get the words “tinkling piano” in a Spin review, he’s someone who takes the liberty to go off. I could go on and on, and probably will if I track Joyner down for an interview. You’d be an idiot to pass up the opportunity to hear anything by this guy. Sing, Eunuchs! Records, P.O. Box 31283, Omaha, NE 68131
