Cosmic Canadian music veterans tread well-worn path without wearing thin

Since their 1998 Steve Albini-produced debut EP and full-lenth, The Sadies have not only managed to develop a distinct personality; they've found endless subtle variations on a formula that could've easily grown tiresome by now, seven studio records and a double-live album down the roots-music road. The basic ingredients in this heaping plate of Spaghetti Western have always been moody Morricone themes, desolate Cash-esque vocals and even more desolate red-dust-choked Mars-rock-field soundscapes, alternately seasoned with soul-searching Byrds-circa-Easy Rider psychedelicism, post-apocalyptic folk, Pulp Fiction-soundtrack-ready surf workouts and creek-drunk Appalachian idioms, all slathered in a classic Sun Records slapback echo and served atop the lonesome, desperate rumble of a distant blue roan's hoofbeats.

The Sadies are also one of those notorious live powerhouses - famously backing Neko Case on the tour that spawned The Tigers Have Spoken, and earning a reputation for both their epic performances and A-list guests. But coming off of last year's energetic double-disc, In Concert Vol. 1, The Sadies' latest finds the band getting back to doing what - despite its expert live chops - it does best: loosely conceptual studio records that maintain strong musical moods throughout. Yes, New Seasons is more of the almost-same - a new season not so much in the sense of a completely fresh beginning, but rather the same old season coming 'round again, bringing familiar feelings, but offering new possibilities.

- Steve LaBate, Paste