Annie Hayden
Merge Records
You may not think of New Jersey as a place where you might find a lot of pretty things, but hey, it ain't called the Garden State for nothing. One pretty thing from New Jersey is Annie Hayden's silvery voice. Hayden joins a long list of great Jersey songwriters and musicians that includes the Chairman of the Board (Mr. Sinatra), the Boss (Mr. Springsteen), The Feelies, and Yo La Tengo, all of whom seem to possess that indescribable essence which we, for lack of a better word, will simply call "Jerseyness."
Actually, Hayden's old band, Spent had more than a little in common with Yo La Tengo's mercurial pop. Spent released two great records on Merge -- Songs of Drinking and Rebellion in '95 and Seat Beneath the Chairs in '96 -- before parting company. As a solo artist, Hayden continues writing music in the Yo La Tengo vein (their melodic pop side, that is), in that it is deceptively dreamy and ethereal. Deceptively so because beneath its seemingly placid and sedate surface it seethes with energy. Hayden's acoustic and electric guitar work is busy and playful, sometimes bright and ringing jangly folk, sometimes more driving rock. Her songs don't have an excess of instrumentation -- besides guitar, she plays bass, mellotron, and keyboards -- but they feel lush, and that's partly because of her sublimely lovely singing voice, as pure and sweet as fresh mountain runoff.
Hayden's debut solo record is called The Rub. It's on Merge and it features "Start a Little Late" and "Wood and Glue."
Jesse Ashlock
last updated:
08/16/01
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