Hayden is Paul Hayden Desser, a self proclaimed one-man orchestra with more music making implements in his arsenal than there are instruments onstage at a Sufjan Stevens concert. In Field & Town is Hayden's fifth album, released on his own Hardwood Records. He is known to shut himself away for years at a time, slowly laying down and recording every instrument and track on his albums single handedly. One could dare say he is the hardest working man in showbiz. One could also say (as many critics and fans already have) that Hayden channels all of the great folk-rock musicians of our time; Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Will Oldham are a few of the obvious influences in Hayden's recordings. Apart from being uncompromising musicians of great depth, these men all share a quirky and unstable quality to their vocal instrumentation. Young's whiney heart-of-gold droll is timeless and Oldham's soulful croon picks at your heartstrings in a manner so beautifully sadistic you want to tear open your chest to more easily facilitate his plucking. Hayden's instrument is a bit dryer and lazier though, more reminiscent of Petty’s sweetly rebellious mumbles. “In Field & Town” and “Worthy of Your Esteem” are a couple of the more upbeat tracks on the album with toe-tapping drum rhythms and keys that border on new-age. “The Van Song” and “Did I Wake Up Beside You?” are both beautifully arranged and place Hayden's gorgeous piano playing at the forefront. His voice is found nothing short of Dylan-worthy on both these tracks; unfortunately, Dylan at his most unintelligible. “Weight of the World” is a pretty ballad Hayden recorded with Australia's Holly Throsby, rounded out by a little harmonica solo. A skillfully crafted album, In Field & Town has all the requisite elements. Hayden's sad sap song writing, coupled with his innate musical talent, comes together to create an effectively folksy album, but one that fails to deliver the explosive crescendo that all of the greats, eventually, so passionately deliver. Maybe on the next one...
--Cami Raben [May 5, 2008]
