Ostensibly the project of Jonas Bonnetta, Evening Hymns was born in the
rural confines of the countryside surrounding Orono, Ontario. In 2007
Bonnetta released the album Farewell to Harmony under his own name and
the Let's All Get Happy Together EP was his first musical foray under
the Evening Hymns moniker.
A marked departure from his earlier stripped down work, with his new
album Spirit Guides Evening Hymns moves towards a fuller sound
complemented by the contributions of an impressive group of friends and
collaborators including members of The Wooden Sky, Ohbijou, Forest City
Lovers and The D'Urbervilles.
Spirit Guides was recorded with James Bunton of Ohbijou, who has
previously worked on albums by Forest City Lovers, Bellewoods and many
of the selections from the Friends in Bellwoods compilations. Two years
in the making, Bonnetta and Bunton split their time recording at
Artspace in Peterbourough and various locales around Toronto.
Spirit Guides swaggers, at points lushly orchestrated, at others
poignantly understated, the sum of its parts represents the impressive
full-length debut of Evening Hymns.
