Cowboy Junkies

Cowboy Junkies fans never seem to tire of the band’s plodding, country-tinged songs about relationships, and while 2007’s At The End Of Paths Taken moved into slightly altered subject matter (family relationships instead of romantic relationships), the music was much the same. Chief songwriter Michael Timmins’ time spent living in China largely inspired 2010's Renmin Park—so much so that it­ felt like a rewrite of the Junkies’ musical syntax. It’s been some time since the band’s Velvet Underground worshipping, but Renmin Park plays like their own, accessible White Light/White Heat, with ambient loops and field recordings adding a dark, unexpected texture to the band’s landscape. The band started its four-part Nomad Series with Renmin Park before releasing Demons, a tribute to the group’s late friend Vic Chesnutt, then the acid blues of Sing In My Meadow and finally The Wilderness, which starts out on a positively beautiful note with “Unanswered Letter.”

Updated 04/12/2012