Blame it on relentless touring with bands like Great Lake Swimmers,
but Julie Fader’s debut album, Outside In, is beyond
bleak—Fader has channelled the feeling of watching your favourite sad
movie scene. Unlike Emily Haines’ lush and wrought theatrics, Fader is
closer to Cat Power at her most depressed. Boyfriend (and Holy Fucker)
Graham Walsh’s swirling and swelling guitars feel as though he’s
playing a wake. Fader reins her silken voice as though fighting tears
to deliver lines like “I lied and said I was alright,” with a
seriousness of heartbreaking proportions. –Mike Landry
This article appears in Oct 22-28, 2009.