The Passing

Since Jack Hardy generally takes two to three years between albums, The Passing is likely his final statement on the 20th century, a fact he seems conscious of in a set of autumnal songs which demonstrate that he would much rather retreat into the 19th century than advance into the 21st. Over music steeped in Celtic folk tradition, Hardy either looks back fondly on pastoral scenes, using highly poetic language, or casts a scornful eye on contemporary urban life with wry wit. It seems a foregone conclusion what he will think of the new millennium after it arrives, but like the late 20th century, it will be made more tolerable by his commentary.