Looking back, everything really built up to this set of tunes. Elgin Street represents the first full and proper "album" of the lot. In a lot of ways, it feels like the sound and voice that was always lurking in the background came out from the shadows behind Boushey's Corner Store. I remember feeling at my most comfortable on the guitar when writing these tracks and feeling the most confident in my ability to write down what it was that I was trying to convey. In some ways, these tunes were the most effortless.
I love the way "Hurricane" crashes into its opening and drives on unabated and undiminished through the full track. Still very happy with the way that one came out and it felt like the right opening track. The two oldest songs - "Cori" and "Love Is In Retreat" also seem to hold up well against the others even if they're quite a bit different from the more up-tempo later tracks like "Before I Met You" and "Making War". It may seem somewhat out of place with its weirdly blues-y guitar riff, but "This Whole Town" (which is fully and absolutely about a walk down Elgin Street from Cooper to Frank) is still likely to bring a smile to anyone who saw Elgin as their stomping grounds.
Finally, it's also fitting that Elgin Street is where it all ends. Life became immeasurably different and better around this time. The change that came with all that also left little time and space for music and, you know what? That's okay. While there were a whole bunch of tunes recorded both before and after "Elgin Street", this one really represents the end for The PlasticHearts. Thanks for listening along.
Listen to Elgin Street on SoundCloud
Track Listing:
