This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
WHERE YOU’LL FIND HIM: Toiling in obscurity — but not for long, hopefully.
FILE UNDER: Hidden talents.
LOWDOWN: Singer-pianist Patrick Keenan is an alumnus of local bands Girls and Jubal. No, I never heard of them either. But if there’s any justice, you’ll be hearing of Keenan before too long. This guy is simply too talented to be kept under wraps for long. First and foremost, he’s a songwriter of uncommon skill whose earnest pop-pop ballads and Wilco-ish roots-rockers are rich in melody and free of cliche. Second, he’s got an endearingly creaky rasp that adds a layer of vulnerable fragility to his gracefully sombre melodies and unconventional arrangements. And third, he’s as gifted a producer as he is a songwriter, texturing his songs with distinctive vocal flourishes and experimental instrumental passages. Put it together and you have his superb solo disc As Constant As The Northern Car, easily the most striking, stirring and stunning local album we’ve had the pleasure to hear in ages. Somebody give this guy a record deal.
