Leahy’s 2021 album, Good Water, introduced us to a whole new side of the Juno-winning group, centering vocal numbers and pop production ahead of the polished traditional(ish) tunes the band is best known for.
It’s a gorgeous album to be sure, but if you’ve been missing the traditional Leahy, this new album is for you.
The single, “Joie de Vivre,” is precisely the kind of superhuman feat of instrumental speed and precision that made the band famous in the first place. And yes, it’s also an appealing little tune — actually a pair of tunes — that starts out on the slow side and gets faster and faster and faster and faster.
It was composed by Xavier Leahy, son of drummer Frank Leahy and arranged by Erin Leahy, who incorporated jazz and Latin influences from her current life in Montreal. And honestly, it’s the kind of tune that leaves you wondering if Elon Musk has replaced Xavier with an Optimus robot because seriously, how the hell anybody can play an instrument that quickly?
Apart from “Joie De Vivre,” Live features three tracks from Good Water — the title track, “Star of the Sea and Little Moon” — and an interesting assortment of other numbers, including a country/bluegrass track they amusingly titled “Nervous Breakdown” and a beautiful rendition of “The Skye Boat Song.”
The release is accompanied by a multi-part video series called Leahy from the Inside, which uses the new tracks as a jumping off point to talk about the band’s creative process.
There’s not much more I can tell you about Leahy that you don’t already know, and not much about this new album that will take anyone by surprise. If you know Leahy, you know what to expect — I mean, within certain parameters — and this is more of the same goodness.
