The Party

The Saskatchewan prodigy’s second album is dangerously close to perfection. It’s several feats in one: a pinnacle of modesty, intimacy and honesty that Elliott Smith would not deny; a remarkable exercise in ’70s-style sound recording; an amazing back-and-forth between orchestral musings à la Wings and lo-fi craftsmanship; amazing folk composition and, once all this is finished, a concept album that holds steady, where each track tells the story of a celebration from the point of view of the introvert Mr. Andy.