It’s shortly after 2 am as I write this and I’m at the tail end of a damn cold night in downtown Toronto. Having gone out for cheap martinis to celebrate a friend’s birthday I did my best to bundle up, but the ever-piercing winter was insatiable as I trudged to the subway. On a whim I ended up listening to Gabriel Minnikin’s Wandering Midnight during my travels. This proved a wise decision indeed.

To be honest, I haven’t given Minnikin’s sophomore release much of a listen since it came my way a few months ago, which is a shame, as I enjoyed it initially. Now that It has seen a few more passes through my headphones I’ve got to say that it is the perfect partner for a harrowing journey, be it frigid or otherwise. That said, rest assured that I’m not about to pull out the old chestnut of an album being “warm” or capable of “warming” during the cold months (a cliché I’ve used before, to be sure), as there’s something about Wandering Midnight that is almost devoid of temperature. It is simply a good companion—the John Wayne to my Jesse Custer, if you will (a little Preacher reference for all you comic book fans).

In fact, that half-joke of a pairing is given slightly more weight when you consider that it is easy to envision Minnikin’s deep and understated vocals belonging to some sort of retired cowboy. He croons with the confidence of someone who as been far and away—a figure who ruminates over somber subjects (“The sorrow in the shadows of the skeletons I’ve laid to rest…”—he sings on “No End”) but no longer necessarily leads a life of hardship. This vocal quality grounds more upbeat on songs like “Montague” and “Brundretts” while still allowing their arrangements—the latter complete with horns and slide guitar—to brighten the mood.

Of course, when all is said and done I suppose the most telling aspect of my low-temperature inspired enjoyment of Wandering Midnight is the fact that I’m now cozy inside my apartment and am still glued to my headphones.

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Check out the title track from Wandering Midnight below:

Gabriel Minnikin - Wandering Midnight

Hear more at Gabriel Minnikin’s Myspace page or buy a digital copy of the album here.