September 30, 2003
'Beautifully crafted' new album reveals musician's conflicted nature
Hawksley Workman is a divided soul. His life is split between a cabin in the Muskoka wilderness and an apartment in Paris, both of which contributed to the split personality of his ambitious new album, Lover/Fighter.

"It began as two separate records, Lover and Fighter," Workman says. "I always write two. I think that's why I write about conflict all the time, because I'm conflicted."

Lover/Fighter differs from Workman's previous albums in several ways, however. "It took seven months to make, and my other records took two weeks," he explains. "The songs came as quickly, but I really laboured to unify the sound, and not make a kooky record as I've done before."

There's nothing kooky about Lover/Fighter's beautifully crafted songs, which are filled out by strings, horns and a guest rap by Graph Nobel, and contain references to pine trees, lakes and places called Haldane Hill and Ilfracombe.

But despite his desire to romanticize Canadian place names, and a supportive local fan base, Workman found really enthusiastic acceptance for his work in Europe.

"Growing up as a rural, artsy kid, you have that sense that you're misunderstood, and that maybe there's something else out there," he says. "The U.S. record business is fickle and nearly impenetrable. But Europeans don't need MTV to tell them what to listen to. They're astute consumers of culture, and when they like something, they'll champion it."

In fact, Workman's success in Europe led to his album having a bigger, more straightforward sound.

"We played huge shows in Europe -- 15,000 people, night after night," he says. "It changes the way you play, and ultimately the way I wanted to make this record. Some songs I had written just didn't work when you're trying to intimately connect with that many people, especially outside. And I wanted to make a record that could fill that space."

Workman spent nearly all last winter alone in a century-old schoolhouse, writing and performing the songs. Not surprisingly, he's of two minds about the experience.

"People say it must have been idyllic, and it was, but it was also hard," he says. "It was a fight to keep warm every day. I love being alone like that, but it's hard to have a day off. I went skiing to keep sane.

"But I remember sitting in the coffee shop where the local men hang out, and they were talking about their sled-dog races," he adds. "Literally the day before I'd been in Milan, and I thought, I really am blessed to experience both worlds."

Workman plays the Phoenix tomorrow and Thursday.