Songs From The Year Of Our Demise.

You can always tell the difference when someone or a group of people do something because they have to, versus doing something because they love to do it. Case in point SFTYOOD.You can hear the passion and dedication throught the whole recording. This is what you could point to as a true labor of love. Jon Auer, has always been one of my favorite songwriters. He has the unique talent, like Robyn Hitchcock, Harry Chapin and George Harrison, to put lyrics to music that are clever as well as descriptive and lovely all at the same time. Jon shares another trait with the aforementioned artists, as in most of his tunes, they usually include a tinge of sadness, but instead of bringing you down (I am talking to you Coldplay)there is always a feeling of hope inter-twined throughout the whole message. Jon is truly gifted, and for those of us lucky enough to be able to see him, or he and The Posies perform, it is special everytime. Now, onto the record. There is no doubt this is a Jon Auer record. It is his style and will instantly be recognized, but this record sounds deeply personal. The use of keyboards is just right and Jon's guitar is still the prominent instrument. Unlike EKOL, where the keys were sometimes overbearing or just did not fit, they are used here as part of the whole picture. I hate to do a review, song by song, and will avoid that here as well. Let's just say that the order of the songs flows perfectly and besides "You Used To Drive Me Around" (easily my favorite J.A. tune), the two songs with female names are my favorites. "Song Noir" really affected my wife. She was drawn in with the raw sadness and yearning of that song. I believe Michelle wrote that one and, if so, she really touched someone with it. This CD is not to be missed and please do what I do, share it with someone who might not usually give an indie artist a chance. Spread the word. Please drum up as much support for the Jon as possible.This will keep him recording songs for many years. I give SFTYOOD 5 out of 5 stars. It is just beautiful.