Originally Published: 2007-04-01

Considering that his songs are often poignant and melancholy, Jim Bryson sounded decidedly upbeat when he chatted to Tandem recently. He had good reason for cheerfulness, as this was just days before the release of his third album, Where The Bungalows Roam. Advance reviews have been positive, he just played to a warm response at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, and, most important of all, he is genuinely pleased with his new record.
Deservedly so, too. The Ottawa-based singer/songwriter has long been viewed by peers and critics as one of the most eloquent tunesmiths around, and that reputation will only be bolstered by Bungalows. It has a sparser and more rootsy feel than his first two outings, 2000's The Occasionals and 2003's The North Side Benches, and Jim acknowledges that the record is a "grower."
"The early response is that it's a bit of a slow burn. It doesn't hit you over the head with hooks or anything. Hopefully people won't listen to it once then throw it in the garbage! Some people are taken aback that a change has been established. My best explanation is you can't stand stamping your feet in the same puddle all your life. The people I've liked don't do the same thing, and that would be unnatural or forced for me."
Bryson approached the creation of this record differently, writing and recording rough versions of the songs before bringing a band into the studio. "Not having a full band meant I did rather do what I wanted. I didn't want to tell anybody anything. I'd been out touring with Kathleen Edwards, then came home, wrote a song, and thought 'that was fun.' I was mucking around with the garageband software, and got into demoing and writing arrangements. By Christmas 2005, I had 14 songs together."
Recording sessions took place the next summer in both Ottawa and at Blue Rodeo's Toronto studio, The Woodshed. The album was co-produced with Dave Draves (also a member of Jim's band), with mixing done by Darryl Neudorf (Neko Case, Justin Rutledge). Players on the disc include Blue Rodeo bassist Bazil Donovan and Peter van Althen (ex-Starling).

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