A beautiful record, physically and aurally, 'Man Descending' should bring Toronto's Justin Rutledge wide attention. The title is taken from a line by the Canadian writer Guy Vanderhaeghe: 'A man descending is propelled by inertia; the only initiative left him is whether or not he decides to enjoy the passing scene'.
As lines go, that's a pretty fair summation of the atmosphere of this record as it drifts dreamily from one song to another, reflecting wistfully on the world. Undeniably downbeat, yet with a welling beauty frequently expressed by the long notes of the pedal steel, 'Man Descending' is quite an enigmatic beast. 'This Too Shall Pass', typically, notes a long list of the sad things in life that will pass with time but closes with the killer line: 'we've figured out how to make a good thing last/ but this too shall pass'. Justin's your man if you want to contemplate the emotional complexities of life.
There's a lot here, lyrically, that I don't get. It's possible that his scenes are borrowed from Guy Vanderhaeghe's book, in which case a read of that would clarify the song content. Without such insight, the language is oblique enough that it offers new opportunities of interpretation on each listening. Justin has a poet's soul and, given the right frame of mind, I think his songs could hit you right where it hurts.
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For me, though, the chief joy of this record is the stately grandeur of the music. There are no big tunes here, no jolly dance numbers or rocking out, but the deceptively simple song structures disguise a very carefully crafted collection. Less frequently equals more as Justin's fragile, Colin Blunstone-ish voice delivers the poetry and the band construct the atmosphere behind him. Bob Packwood's organ and Burke Carroll's pedal steel are frequently the stars of the show, delicate and yet powerful.
'Alberta Breeze', the last track on the album, epitomises all that's good. The first third of the song has sparse guitar accompaniment but the band come in later as the autumn mood of wistful regret for the recently passed glories of summer is built and built.The lyric, I'm sure, is literal and metaphorical and I daresay it resonates powerfully for Justin's hometown audience. 'Man Descending' is an album of quiet joys and wistful beauty.
(John Davy www.nessmp3.com/music/biscuitsandgravy)
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