Richard Laviolette - All Wild Things Are Shy
You’ve Changed Records
Released on September 5th, 2024
I’m unsure how to start this review. I didn’t know a thing about Richard Laviolette until last week, roughly three weeks after his posthumous album, All The Wild Things Are Shy, was released on You’ve Changed Records. I don’t know why I knew nothing of him; perhaps it’s because I’m out in Alberta and he seemed to be mostly revered within Ontario circles. But nonetheless, I stumbled across a post that made me listen to his final work All Wild Things Are Shy and was instantly hooked. After my first listen, I dug more into Laviolette, and only then did I find out he had passed.
Richard Laviolette was born in 1982 and spent his formative years on his parent’s hobby farm in Ontario. From what I can gather, his parents planted the music bug in him and taught him several instruments. He played in bands as a teenager and decided to pursue a career in music after dropping out of university. He released eight albums between 2005 and 2017 with his ninth and final album arriving at the start of September this year, exactly one year after his death. That album was written over the final five years of his life where he watched his mother succumb to Huntington's Disease before having that same fate come calling after him.
Unsurprisingly, his final record confronts death and mortality straight on. By the time recording began, Laviolette was already unable to perform live due to his aggressive symptoms which included a loss of coordination and dexterity, loss of vocal control, difficulty answering questions or making decisions, anxiety, and what he described as a mental fog or “mental molasses.” This final album should be considered a true gift, I cannot even begin to comprehend how difficult it must have been to complete.
The album opens with “Milkweed and Motherwort” which instantly brings Crazy Horse tracks to mind. The band on these songs captures the ramshackle, loose instrumentation of that iconic band so well that you could easily fool Crazy Horse fans, that is, until the singing begins. This is where the track surpasses the comparison as Laviolette’s voice has a power that Neil Young’s does not. Both have an idiosyncratic delivery so correlations are apt but Young’s voice sounds fragile when compared to Laviolette’s. I loved the band, but it was Laviolette’s voice that hooked me.
Knowing his story makes moments throughout All The Wild Things Are Shy particularly heart wrenching. The sombre number “Don’t Quit On Me” is a perfect example as it highlights Laviolette’s urge to fight through his illness, a story that takes on additional weight after Laviolette’s passing. However, the poignancy of the song exists apart from the biography of it’s author; Laviolette writes with a simplicity and sparseness that transforms his own adversity into something universal, deeply honest, and frankly stunning, that anyone who has faced adversity of their own can find a comfort in.
Near the end of the record we get to “I Was Saved By Rock N Roll”, one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. Laviolette is able to articulate the idea of music as medicine with a directness and beauty, in such a way that speaks directly to this writer’s experience being a fan of music. Some of my favourite lines include:
“in my search to ease this load, I was saved by rock and roll”
“dirty beats and dissonant tones, I was saved by rock and roll”
and the final lines:
“a little destruction will make you whole, I was saved by rock and roll”.
They are sung with heartbreaking earnestness over what is the sonic highlight of the album. Jarring accordion, droning organ and an eerie choir of voices that respond with the song’s title in a call and response with Laviolette’s musings. It’s haunting yet uplifting at the same time.
While the musical arrangements on the aforementioned song are massive, most of the album is stripped back enough to make Laviolette’s voice and lyrics the highlight of the album. This intentional decision makes this more of a folk/county record than a rock record, but the sonic genre probably lies somewhere in between.
The only hiccup is a well intentioned duet from Bry Webb and Steph Yates. These two are forces of nature by their own rights, with Webb carving out a path with Constantines and solo while Yates (making music under the name Cots) is one of the most exciting acts in all of Canada right now. Sadly, their voices feel out of place on this album; the song, while definitely an enjoyable listen, sticks out in the context of the rest of the record. I’m assuming there's a good reason for this track being included and that reason is likely personal and poignant to all who knew and loved Laviolette but for those who did not (like me), the inclusion of this song is strange.
That minor quibble aside, All The Wild Things Are Shy is a triumph. I’m truly bummed I never knew of Laviolette until now. I never got to see him live. I never got to meet him. I can’t purchase this LP as it was sold out before I discovered it. But what I can do is write this review (long form reviews are rare occasions for me), I can discuss this album and artist with other music fans, and I can continue to play this album loud for years to come. Most importantly, once my obsessing with this album wanes, I’ve got eight others to explore to help keep Laviolette’s spirit alive.
Richard Laviolette chose to receive medical assistance in dying (MAID) on September 5, 2023. Those who knew him will miss him dearly, those who didn’t can honour him by listening to his work. Go listen.
- Jeff MacCallum