Sheltered In Sound

The brainchild of Toronto singer-songwriter Sean Nilsson, this full-length album is his first release since a debut EP in 2002. Nilsson seems to have been concentrating hard on his writing in the meantime, as Field Recordings From The City is a well-executed collection that effectively captures the urban ennui suggested by the title. In fact, Nilsson doesn’t seem to hide his fondness for major melancholia practitioners like Mark Kozelek and Hayden, and while it’s hard to pick up as much desperation in Nilsson’s work, there is certainly a quiet intensity that holds all 11 tracks together. His isolation is best expressed in "Mir,” where specific downtown Toronto references mix well with the notion of being stranded on a space station for a year. But while Field Recordings is generally the kind of album that sounds best late at night, there is enough of a pop sheen to make it appropriate for those occasional moments of daytime reflection.