Elk-Lake Serenade

Hayden | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Badman Records
• ASIN: B00026KGHO
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #21,550 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #56 in Music > Alternative Rock > Singer-Songwriters

Editorial Reviews

From Amazon.ca

Is it any accident that all of Hayden Desser's album covers are earth tones? Chocolate browns, grassy greens, warm hues in the shades of faded-out polaroids decorate all of them. That same visual consistency applies to his music; pick up a Hayden disc and you're guaranteed to get an earful of acoustic guitar twang, harmonica swoop and softness. Acoustic Neil Young comparisons have followed him since the beginning, but ultimately, Young's song "Helpless" can best explain Hayden's appeal; fragile yet warm vocals accompanied by steel string resonance, combined with moments of space and quiet, these qualities are all parts of what makes Hayden great.

Elk-Lake Serenade contains all the consistencies guaranteed to charm; spots where he whispers musical secrets in your ear (the lullaby-like "Wide Eyes" and "Starting Over", a tale of impetuous desire), or sings full-throated upbeat charms, like the Cuban-influenced single "Hollywood Ending". Thankfully, there are also the trademark twisted folk tales, including the melodically beautiful "Killbear", a story about a man watching his wife get mauled by an animal attack. The juxtaposition of Hayden¹s languid, lovely melodies mixed with Twin Peaks-esque tales make the surreal numbers that much more captivating.

An adoring fan base has blossomed organically over the ten years that he has been performing, and this new material continuing to subtly evolve in beauty and orchestration without becoming overdone will no doubt add to the appeal of Hayden¹s longevity. While many comparisons have been made, ultimately, there is no one out there singing and writing songs like these subtle charmers. --Denise Sheppard

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A touching, beautiful, profoundly moving album, March 28, 2006

By 

Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elk-Lake Serenade (Audio CD)

I honestly don't know how I found out about this guy. It may have been through one of those online expeditions that I sometimes undertake in search of new music. However I learned of Hayden, it resulted in my looking for a copy here on Amazon and buying it without ever even having heard the guy. I can't express how extremely happy I am to have taken a chance on this. My next order on Amazon will be for the bulk of his catalog. I simply have to hear more of this guy.

Hayden Desser is a miniaturist. Whitman claimed to see God in every object and in a way Desser sees something marvelous in small things. His songs are focused on very distinct moments, easily demarcated moments. In one song he asks a woman to hold him so that his old girlfriend will be jealous when she sees them, but finds he can't be bothered to see if his girlfriend sees them when he holds this woman. He writes a song about how happy he is that his cat loves the spring. On a scarier level he sings of how he would have acted differently when his old love and her new lover were attacked camping by a grizzly bear. He sings of meeting a movie star who is filming a movie outside his house. Throughout all he expresses deep emotions, almost always soft, caring, reflective emotions. Once he does almost get angry, when his wife's former boyfriend visits them and is obviously regretful that he didn't stay with her. But even then the most he can bring himself to express is that he doesn't like the guy and wants him to leave.

Many people have made comparisons between Hayden and the acoustic Neil Young. They sound vaguely similar, but there is less of an edge to Hayden (at least on this album), and a far greater delicacy in his songwriting. In some ways Hayden reminds me of Sam Beam aka Iron and Wine. Both writers are deeply poetical in their lyrics, both are acoustic, and both have gentle voices. Hayden, however, is a far more subjective songwriter, always focusing on mood and emotion, while Beam is willing to explore a greater range of subject matter. I would love to see the Canadian and the Floridian perform together. They truly do seem kindred spirits.

My favorite song on the album is one of the most positive, life-affirming songs I've heard in a long time, "Don't Get Down." The sentiments expressed on the song are not terribly deep, but they are deeply moving because they sound so unforced and so sincere. He starts off simply:

Don't get down
Don't waste time on things you can't ever change
I know we all do

Somehow that affirmation that we all get down on ourselves for things we can't change or for hanging out with people we don't even like is made marvelous by that little phrase, "I know we all do," which makes the song both sympathetic and comforting at the same time and makes the singer part of the same fraternity. The song closes with the wonderful admonition:

And find something that will make you feel
Like every day's too short

In other words, make the most of life while you can. This is just one of the many gorgeous moments on this album. It seems sometimes to me that our world is, at least in terms of music, a bizarro world like in the old Superman comics, where everyone seems to like terrible stuff and hates truly wonderful things. I've never understood how people like Dave Matthews can achieve stardom while vastly more talented individuals like Hayden or Eleventh Dream Day or Iron and Wine remain only marginally successful. This simply does not make any sense to me. In the meantime, before the aesthetic revolution takes place, if you love truly great, instead of merely popular, music, please do yourself and get this album.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hayden Elk-Lake Serenade, May 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Elk-Lake Serenade (Audio CD)

This is the sixth album by Hayden and by far his most upbeat and rootsy but at the same time reflective and honest and engaging. I recently saw him LIVE and this is a great way to appreciate him. Wait till you hear Home By Saturday, what a romantic yet straightahead song. 15 heartfelt songs and even some strings and pedal steel as well as Hayden's trademark lovely piano and guitar, a most mellifluous man. This is my fave Hayden disc and I love 'em all. Highly recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elk Lake Serenade- Hayden, August 23, 2004

By 

Eyes Have Miles "eyes_have_miles" (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elk-Lake Serenade (Audio CD)

Having been a fan for some ten years now, I can say that I grew up listening to Hayden. The Closer I Get had heavy play time when I first learned to drive, his follow up EP, Moving Careful, reminds me of my first girlfriend. Subsequent releases each have their own personal sentiments for me as I grew up and moved out. That is why I think his music is so memorable- it evokes such emotion in the listener because Hayden sings as if it is only he who can hear it. Elk Lake combines the roughshod melancholy of his earlier work with a new zeal and lightheartedness. One can only imagine how this musical evolution has come to be- Hayden is a very private individual, content to let his work stand on its own, without any interpretation from the author. Elk Lake expands Hayden's repetoire of instruments, it takes up where Skyscraper left off, and is a stunning testament to his musical genius. Those of you who can, please, see Hayden in concert. There you will experience his music in a fuller and more vibrant form than can be captured on CD. If not, buy the vinyl LP. I think the author would agree with me.