Canadian indie folk-rocker Joel Plaskett isn't going to leave his fans starving for music this year. A master at sidestepping convention, Plaskett is set to release a new 44-track offering on April 17—the day before his 45th birthday. This offering will come in the form of four 11-track albums and the album’s first single “Head over Heels into Heaven” is the first taste of the dozens of tracks to come.
Plaskett enjoys challenging the left brain vs right brain theory. As an artist with a deep passion for creation, he's also drawn to methodology and patterns—pleasing both hemispheres.
44 is a conceptualized follow-up to his previous musical anthology, Three, released in 2009. The story goes that when Plaskett reached the age of 33 and one-third, he penned his third solo album, Three, pulling from the right brain. But when it came to rolling it out, he looked to the left brain. He prepared an offering of three albums with 9 tracks on each and chose March 24, 2009, for the release date. In perfect form, all numbers are divisible by three.
Naturally, as Plaskett and his brain turned 40, the concept aged with him. “Head over Heels into Heaven” is a fitting introduction to 44. The horns that kick off the song alert you that something great is coming, then you settle into Plaskett’s familiar voice, welcoming you back into the laid-back, indie-rock he’s known for. The track is co-written with frequent collaborator and fellow east coaster, Mo Kenney, and features Dave Marsh and Chris Pennell of Plaskett's band The Emergency.
