It all began, of course, on May 19th 1845, when, as Eric and Shawn put it, "we said goodbye to friends and relations / and to the grass under English skies," and thus the songs begin. Next comes a meditation on "What's Left Behind," followed by my favorite track, "Anniversary." This song takes it chorus from a line on John Hartnell's grave marker, "Consider your Ways," and turns it into an extended meditation on mortality and meaning -- but it's not a mournful one. Indeed, the tune is so catchy that even my non-Franklin-obsessed friends find themselves humming along in the car. Not since Stan Rogers has the story come alive in such a way; these songs not only memorialize the past but capture something of the mood of moment, here among us "tardiest explorers."
The story continues through the many stages common both to life and expeditions -- "The Problem with Progress," "Wilderness Tips," and "Starting to Change" -- and then to the final and eventually the ghostly journey from ships stranded in the ice. Even the odd Franklin relic gets a song, with "Rusty Copper Hinge." The final track, "Warm of the Morning," reflects both on the loss of the men and the endless curiosity of those who've search for the rhyme and the reason of it all -- "you question all that's created / well, having the answer can be overrated." The final lines are the most evocative: "I'll hold below with my good companions / out in the darkness, you'll hear us singing."
I was honored when Eric and Shawn asked me to contribute some liner notes! If you'd like to get hold of this on vinyl; you can order copies directly from the Record Centre in Ottawa. Or, if digital music is more your groove, the album can be purchased and downloaded directly via Bandcamp. Either way, clear your decks, turn down the lights -- if you're anywhere near where the 'Blizzard of '26' deposited its drifts, have a look out the window. Then drop the needle and listen.
