The first time I sat and listened to this record, it was immediately apparent that Blue Rodeo had created something very special. Not that any of their releases of the past 10 years have been throwaways by any means, but on this newest record they have truly topped themselves in terms of song quality. The Things We Left Behind is easily their most consistent record from start to finish since The Days In Between with nary a bad track among the 16 songs to be found here.
Starting with Greg Keelor’s low-key All The Things That Are Left Behind, the mood picks up as the record moves into Jim Cuddy’s One More Night and Sheba. The rollicking Never Look Back, the Byrds-esque Million Miles and the psychedelic Venus Rising are truly some of Keelor’s best tracks in years.
This might possibly be my album of the year for 2009; a career-redefining record from a veritable Canadian institution. Very highly recommended to all past and present Blue Rodeo fans.