Demos for a special shuffling feet records project (Taken with instagram)

By order of the author (Taken with instagram)

Got a write up in the Toronto Star today (Taken with instagram)

First Edition (Taken with instagram)

Physical and digital copies available at josfortin.bandcamp.com (Taken with instagram)

My closest friends (Taken with instagram)

The ghost that haunts this library (Taken with instagram)

Diaper Island (Taken with instagram)

Taken with instagram

In Review: Jos. Fortin - Typewriter

By: Leks Maltby

“It’s so much more than a means to an end,” sings Peterborough, Ontario native Jos. Fortin on “So Far,” the lead-off track from his Shuffling Feet Records debut album Typewriter. Indeed, a full-length recording of beautifully crafted folk songs from a relatively unknown newcomer to the Canadian independent music scene is a rarity, but for Fortin this album represents the culmination of years of hard work. The songs that comprise Typewriter have been carefully written, executed, and committed to tape by a small army of musicians comprised of members of Evening Hymns, Timber Timbre, City and Colour, and Ohbijou. Not too shabby for a dude that you’ve probably never heard of until now, eh?

Clearly Typewriter isn’t a “solo” album in the strictest sense of the term, but the magic here is seeing the songs of one man come to life via a multitude of players. Following the example of so many of the acts associated with the Friends in Bellwoods compilations and the Out Of This Spark recording label, Fortin has enlisted his friends to breathe new life into his songs. His voice is strong enough to carry these tunes on his own, but the layered effect of having saxophones mingling with clarinets waltzing with trumpets and accordions creates a beautiful cacophony of sound that is larger than the composer of the songs in question.

Although Fortin’s tender voice is always front and center in the mix, it’s a pleasant surprise when the oh-so-lovely back-up vocals of Evening Hymns’ Sylvie Smith provide some much-needed “Ooh’s” on standout track “Not Hard To Find,” and equally awesome when Evening Hymns front-man Jonas Bonnetta duets on the refreshing “Rainwater Tea.” This song sounds better than it tastes, and is yet another example of how collaboration is Fortin’s true strength on his debut LP. 

 Given that Typewriter has found its home on Shuffling Feet Records, a label know for releasing the earliest Evening Hymns and Timber Timbre recordings, it’s not surprising that Fortin has chosen this vehicle to release his music. If you were to ask the causal music fan who Timber Timbre or Evening Hymns were six years ago, you’d be hard pressed for an answer. Today, the former has been nominated for a handful of Juno awards while the latter is practically royalty in Europe via the French-based Kutu Folk Recordings label. If you didn’t know who Jos. Fortin was when you started reading this review, you do now. Do yourself a favour and purchase a copy of Typewriter before the accolades start rolling in; better yet, if you’ve got a typewriter handy, why not write a few yourself?

To win a free copy of the Shuffling Feet Recordings release Medicinals by Timber Timbre, post in the “Comments” section of this page in thirty words or less your first time seeing either Jos. Fortin, Timber Timbre, or Evening Hymns live in concert. This contest closes at midnight on April 14, 2012, and the most unique entry will be declared the winner on April 15, 2012. Good luck!