When we say more people should know about Hayden, I’m not talking about the beloved 18th-century composer and founder of Viennese Classicism, but about Paul Hayden Desser, the Canadian singer-songwriter who has been quietly ploughing his furrow for some 30 years now.
If this was for ‘Americana Canada’ rather than AUK, then an article such as this would probably be unnecessary. He is a pretty well known figure on the music scene in Trump’s proposed 51st state. However, his reclusive and low-key nature, his reluctance to tour outside his home country, and his, frankly, underpowered self-promotional efforts mean he has rather flown under the radar this side of the Atlantic despite a steady output of excellent records, including one in particular which should be in every self respecting americana collection (of which more later).
There must be something in the abundant Canadian water which has generated a seemingly endless production line of outstanding singers and songwriters – Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, kd lang, Feist, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joan Shelly, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, four members of The Band, and a whole lot more. Hayden has a strong claim to be included in that stellar list.
In an interview with the Times Colonist (an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia) in 2013, he said: “But for sure, my music isn’t for everyone. A lot of people think I mumble. And that I’m mopey…. But there’s a huge, huge possibility — and I’m not being self-deprecating here — that if I fully promoted all of my records crazily, toured my ass off, had U2’s manager or whatever, had all the pieces in place, that I still wouldn’t be a big artist.” He is probably right, but it is quite refreshing that he has a realistic immunity to an Oasis-sized ego. Most of his records have been released on his own Hardwood label, but more recently on the Arts & Craft label. Difficult to believe, at the start of his career, that there was a bidding war for his signature which led to him signing for a Geffen Records subsidiary, Outpost Records, for a Dr Evil-sized £1 million dollars. One suspects that outlay was not recovered.
However, his songs and lyrics have a knack of worming their way under your skin. They have a sort of tuneful melancholy and gentle flow which create their own cocoon around the listener. And to get the most out of his songs you do have to listen; there is a real intelligence at work in this music. Hayden’s voice is generally world-weary but sometimes shifts into a punchy growl. He has produced 11 albums since 1995, and a fair few out-of-print singles and EPs. These include, perhaps surprisingly, a fine live double-album – Live at Convocation Hall which captured a sell-out series of solo concerts in Toronto (he does have a devoted following in his home country). It also showed him to be a wry and witty performer in his asides to the fans between songs (by the way, is there anything more pointless than a musician yelling: ‘Are you alright?’ to an audience – and yet so many, depressingly, do). I believe he played at The Spitz (now defunct) in London back in 2004 (I was not there). Since then there has been no sign of him over here, alas. The Loch Ness monster shows up more often.
Lyrically, there are themes to which Hayden frequently returns – Is he worthy of another’s affection? Loneliness. Insecurity. The frailty of relationships even when things seem to be going well. Does she have her eye on someone else? Some of his song titles give the game away – Worthy of your esteem, I should have been watching you, You are all I have, Just give me a name. However, he is also capable of quirky vignettes like the Lonely Security Guard who engages in origami in his post at the Mall, but is not to be underestimated.
Back in 2020, in the AUK series in which reviewers chose their top 10 americana albums, Clint West perceptively slotted Everything I Long For, Hayden’s 1995 debut album in at his number 3. A sage choice, but my personal vote would have gone for Elk-Lake Serenade, which I contend is one of the great unsung americana albums. Released in 2004, it was his fourth album, and came out on Loose Records in the UK. I am a sucker for pedal steel guitar and this record provides me with a fix (thank you, Burke Carroll), but it is Hayden’s ability to spin a tale in his haunting lyrics couched in gorgeous melody, which clinches the deal. A prime example is Home by Saturday in which the travelling Hayden just wants to be back with his love while (inevitably) worrying whether her head may have been turned in his absence: “This is the last time out for me/I don’t want to wait and see/if while I’ve been away you’ve been untrue/Have you found somebody new?/and if I’m wrong then don’t you stray/I’ll be home by Saturday”. The instrumentation on the record is varied and aptly fits the mood of each song – strings, brass as well as the usual guitar, bass, harmonica and drums (by Howie Beck!)
Skyscraper National Park, which preceded Elk-Lake Serenade, runs it close, but in truth all his albums are worth searching out. If this piece does nothing more than direct a few more listeners towards them, then it will have been worthwhile.
