47 songs!?! How does one even begin to tackle a magnum opus like that, Let alone record it?

For those of you who have no idea what I’m going on about, revered Toronto musician Paul Linklater recently released a monster of a collection entitled Smooth Sailing and How. In its entirety the mammoth release clocks in at over 2 hours and 22 minutes partitioned into 2 discs and an EP. I don’t even know where to start.

Anyone who has read a couple of my reviews ought to know that I often bemoan when a band “crams” too many tracks on an album, and I usually prefer shorter releases. In that regard you’d think I’d be salivating at the thought of ripping into the length of Smooth Sailing and How. However, Linklater has just made me realize that anything gets a pass beyond a certain point.

Put it this way: you know when your friend makes a joke that they realize isn’t very funny, so they keep it going anyway until the sheer ridiculousness of their dedication to it becomes hilarious? That’s pretty much how I feel about this—at around 20 tracks I’d have probably expressed displeasure (with length, not quality in this case), but at 47 songs I think it’s great. What did we learn by this? Less is more, but ridiculously excessive is even more than less…or something.

Whatever the case, I’m happy I dropped the $7 to pick this up (buy it yourself from Jibcut Records), as, not only is that a great deal at around $0.15 a track (what can I say, I’m a sucker for a bulk discount), but there are some superb tunes to be heard. Personally, I’m stuck on “Virginia C” and “Hard Time of Year,” and would recommend the album based on those tracks alone, but I’m still digging. Hell, the sheer length of Smooth Sailing and How combined with the fact that I can’t help repeating the above standouts means that I haven’t even gotten through the whole thing yet!

Of course, Smooth Sailing and How isn’t for the idle listener—you’ve got to put in the effort—but those of you willing to get knee deep in Paul Linklater’s latest will definitely be rewarded…and how.

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Check out a track from Smooth Sailing and How below:

Paul Linklater - Virginia C

Hear more at Paul Linklater’s Myspace page, as well as the dedicated pages for each disc (Disc 1, Disc 2, EP), and buy it direct from Jibcut Records right here.