★★★★★
On Extraordinary, the fourth track of this record by Halifax's most interesting songwriter, Joel Plaskett (ex-Thrush Hermit) sings "Baby if you wanna be/ out of the ordinary/ you don't need technology." It's an observation proven repeatedly on this album (hmmn... provided electric guitars are somehow not considered technology, but work with me here), where Plaskett and band sit squarely in the rock'n'roll realm but aren't held down by structural rules or the hipster weightiness of today's rock...
- www.hour.ca
2010-11-09
★★★★★
We blamed Canada for Bryan Adams and the Barenaked Ladies, while overlooking it as the birthplace of Neil Young and Leonard Cohen. So the challenge that The Joel Plaskett Emergency face is to break away from their Nova Scotia origins, something their second LP manages, sounding like it's cast out on the late-'60s Californian coast with a direct line to The Who's rehearsal studios.
- nme.com
2009-06-07
★★★★★
Not many artists stick around the Halifax scene once they start to gain some international attention. And lets face it, it's easy to say "who can blame them...
- www.cokemachineglow.com
2009-06-06
★★★★★
As well-liked as Nova Scotian cult-heroes Thrush Hermit were in their mid-'90s heyday, their 1999 breakup was the best thing to happen to erstwhile frontman Joel Plaskett. His solo albums have grown steadily in breadth, depth, and quality of expression, and their progression has led to a classic album of Canadian rock whose twilight-vision anthems will endure for years to come: the absorbing, charming, entertaining, and moving Ashtray Rock...
- www.popmatters.com
2009-03-22
★★★★★
Joel Plaskett's first solo album, In Need of Medical Attention, was my sleeper pick for last year. As an avid fan of his former band, Thrush Hermit, I approached Plaskett's first post-Hermit record with a great deal of enthusiasm. At first, however, I was a bit disappointed. In direct opposition to the Hermit's brand of meaty, melodic, classic-rock-meets-indie-sensibilities power pop, Medical Attention was a dour, druggy, hazy record that was slow to reveal its charms...
- www.splendidezine.com
2009-02-26
★★★★★
As well-liked as Nova Scotian cult-heroes Thrush Hermit were in their mid-'90s heyday, their 1999 breakup was the best thing to happen to erstwhile frontman Joel Plaskett. His solo albums have grown steadily in breadth, depth, and quality of expression, and their progression has led to a classic album of Canadian rock whose twilight-vision anthems will endure for years to come: the absorbing, charming, entertaining, and moving Ashtray Rock...
- www.popmatters.com
2008-08-03
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