Martin Tielli - Operation Infinite Joy (2003)

Tracklist

01. Beauty On
02. Ok by Me
03. The Temperance Society Choir
04. Sergeant Kraulis
05. Andy by the Lake
06. Cold Blooded Old Times
07. Winnipeg
08. Waterstriders
09. Ship of Fire
10. Kathleen

Martin Tielli's second solo album (and first album in his four-CD subscription series), Operation Infinite Joy is both more collaborative and electric than the acoustic We Didn't Even Suspect That He Was the Poppy Salesman. This time out, he's assembled not only a band, but a choir, too, composed of Toronto musicians that are mostly outside the circle of musicians who show up on Rheostatics albums. The result is that even though Tielli has the support of other musicians, the change of faces means a different dynamic; where Tielli's Rheos contributions would be tightly packed, here they're looser while still sounding distinctly like Tielli numbers. Though Rheostatics-esque tracks like "Merry Christmas, Sergeant Kraulis" and "Ship of Fire" are still very welcome, the different dynamic produces gems like the quiet, brooding "Waterstriders"; the prog folk of "Andy by the Lake"; or the sub-zero-degrees playfulness of "Winnipeg." The booklet included with the retail version of the album is beautiful accompaniment to the music, but it's only just a taste. As part of the subscription series (available via www.sixshooterrecords.com), the album comes with special packaging featuring additional artwork and two additional tracks.

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