The word “yonder” was once a cowboy expression that combined the Germanic “yon” (“that”) and the Dutch “ginder” (“over there”), and was usually accompanied by a sweeping or pointing gesture. “Just over them hills yonder,” they used to say.
Now the term has been refashioned into the moniker of Toronto’s newest alt-country posse, who are blazing a trail of buzz following the release of their first LP Skywalk to Crescent Town (Northern Dust Records) last Friday.
Yonder, lead by charismatic singer and guitarist Zach Bennett, have been slow-cooking their rootsy rock recipe to sweet perfection since 2003. First, the band holed up in a secluded cottage near Havelock, Ontario—the perfect setting to distil their rural influences—to record a demo EP with producer Dean Marino (Born Ruffians, Amy Milan, C’mon). Those songs were strong enough to shore up support from local indie imprint Northern Dust Records.
Their next task was to build on the EP’s strength, and deliver the aforementioned Skywalk. Opting again to trust the board to Marino, Yonder re-recorded three tracks from the cottage sessions and banged out 11 new ones at Toronto’s Chemical Sound. The result is an extremely well-crafted album that combines elements of Wilco’s alt-country and Arcade Fire’s anthemic indie-rock into a memorable and unpredictable 55 minutes.
Going beyond the usual guitar/ bass/drums/vocal rock setup, Bennett has mixed in every instrument short of the kitchen sink. Combinations of strings, horns, organ, banjos, saxophone, pedal steel, every kind of guitar, and a diverse array of percussion give each song a unique character— the album even kicks off with a mood-setting story told over the beginning of lead track “Juvenile Haul.”
Verses build into stomping choruses on their heavier material (“Let YouDown,” “If Only”) while their quieter, more introspective fare (“Wear a Frown,” “Autumn Eyes”) will have you ordering up three fingers of the good stuff to dull the heartache. Yonder’s songs also benefit from a slew of talented musicians but also from Bennett’s obvious attention to detail—there are no sloppy shortcuts here. Even the packaging is top notch.
Fans of rootsy, homegrown indierock like Ottawa’s The Acorn and our own Elliot Brood will find a lot to like on this debut. Coming off a recent gig opening for Bry Webb of the Constantines, Yonder are looking forward to showcasing songs off Skywalk at their Canadian Music Week showcase March 6 at the Cadillac Lounge. We predict that big things are just over the horizon for Yonder.
Listen to Yonder:
www.myspace.com/yonder
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