Singer/songwriter, Joel Plaskett, releases 44, on April 17, the day before his 45th birthday, via Pheromone Recordings. The full-length was recorded by Doug Easley (Pavement, Grifters, Guided By Voices) who recorded Plaskett’s former alt-rock band Thrush Hermit’s Sweet Homewrecker in 1996 at Memphis Magnetic Recording, “If There’s Another Road” was the first song Plaskett wrote after buying an old mandolin. A searching tune under the influence of Irma Thomas, Lucinda Williams and downtown Dartmouth, it’s mood thematically sums up 44’s third record and is one of Plaskett’s personal favourites from the project.

From Joel Plaskett

Making a record has always felt to me like trying to put a frame around a group of songs. In going through my songs from the last four years, it dawned on me that I’d need more than one frame to contain what I’ve been writing about. Hence four panes within a frame, four records in one box. Synchronicity and numbers have always been a fascination, and I saw this project as an opportunity to create something to mark my 44th year on this mystifying planet. – Joel Plaskett.

44 is a visionary project of four, 11-song records (41: Carried Away, 42: Just Passing Through, 43: If There’s Another Road and 44: The Window Inn), packaged together and connected thematically. Four years in the making, the songs were recorded in Dartmouth, Memphis, Nashville and Toronto with 33 different musicians, including Plaskett’s band The Emergency (Dave Marsh & Chris Pennell) and Mo Kenney.

Ore order by Joel Plaskett here