And the Conquering Sun is a collaborative album by Gord Downie and The Sadies, released on Arts & Crafts Productions in 2014."Gord Downie & the Sadies And the Conquering Sun (Arts &Crafts); Pick of the Week". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, April 3, 2014.
The album began when The Sadies were invited to perform on the CBC Radio concert series Fuse; the series centred on collaborative concerts between multiple artists, and the Sadies selected Downie as they had just completed opening for The Tragically Hip on that band's World Container tour."Gord Downie, Sadies rise together in The Conquering Sun". Ottawa Citizen, April 12, 2014. The set list they performed on that broadcast comprised covers of artists such as Roky Erickson, Johnny Cash and Iggy and the Stooges."The cryptic world of Gord Downie". The Globe and Mail, April 28, 2014. Downie and the Sadies subsequently continued to occasionally write songs together, eventually deciding to release their original material as an album."Canadian collaboration creates fresh new album; Downie, Sadies played it by ear, one song at a time". Vancouver Sun, April 15, 2014.
Downie and the Sadies supported the album with a concert tour,"Musical veterans merge for new album: Gord Downie, the Sadies not immune to jitters in making of the Conquering Sun". Toronto Star, June 7, 2014. with performances from the tour compiled for the 2026 live album Live at 6 O'Clock.Karlie Rogers, "Gord Downie and the Sadies Celebrated with Live Album". Exclaim!, February 10, 2026.
Critical response
Writing for Exclaim!, Joshua Kloke called the album uneven, but noted that "when the five of them are on the same page, there's an intimidating energy. On the crashing "Crater," Downie sounds 20 years younger, with a snarl reminiscent of the Tragically Hip's dark, mid-'90s heyday.""Gord Downie, the Sadies, and the Conquering Sun". Exclaim!, April 15, 2014. For AllMusic, Mark Deming wrote that "with the Sadies providing top-shelf backing, Downie is free to go into rant mode on his lyrics, and while he reveals he can sound insightful and literate when he's of a mind (particularly on "Devil Enough" and "Saved"), he clearly relishes the chance to go on a beatnik lyrical bender on some of these tunes.""Gord Downie, The Sadies, And the Conquering Sun". AllMusic.
Track listing "Crater" – 2:46 "The Conquering Sun" – 3:09 "Los Angeles Times" – 3:34 "One Good Fast Job" – 2:27 "It Didn't Start to Break My Heart Until This Afternoon" – 4:02 "Budget Shoes" – 2:43 "Demand Destruction" – 2:38 "Devil Enough" – 3:15 "I'm Free, Disarray Me" – 2:25 "Saved" – 3:06
References