13. Everything I Long For - Hayden, 1996 (Best of the 90s)

Everything I Long For

Hayden
Sonic Unyon Records.


Crazy to think I first heard Hayden when I was fourteen years old. My friend and neighbour had just received Everything I Long For from his cousin - who, being in his late teens, was inexplicably, automatically cool – and we’d sit in his basement, blaring it from his father’s stereo speakers. Initially Hayden's course voice seemed a novelty but it was borne of his knack for grisly storytelling, and his tales of heartbreak and death resonated even then. Crazy to think Hayden was only twenty-three…

5) Moving Careful - Hayden (Top Extended Plays)

Moving Careful

Hayden
Sonic Unyon Records

SCQ Rating: 82%

It is often said that the 30-somethings who ensure that every Hayden show (up to and including the current In Field and Town tour) is sold-out, were once the teenaged sadsacks who attached their misery to his delicate, 4-track recordings of regret. While I’m sure the Toronto songwriter has garnered a healthy set of fans since the late 90s, I don’t disagree that most Hayden fans are in it for life.

Moving Careful was recorded during stops of his first World Tour and are the first songs to capture his softer voice, creaking like the comfort of an old house, far removed from the angry wail that attracted many to his Sonic Unyon debut. Recognition of one’s talent often leads to increased confidence and bolder music, yet Hayden had managed to crawl further into his shell. Keeping his lo-fi skills intact, this EP was performed in the backs of Chinese restaurants, in hotels, and as heard in the magical ‘Middle of July’, a field of crickets. My favourite record of 1997.