The Walking

The Walking is an avant-garde music/experimental film score studio album by Jane Siberry. The album was released on Reprise Records internationally, but remained on the independent label Duke Street Records in Canada. It is an excellent example of music that, on release, was panned by critics and largely spurned by the market, only to become a museum-quality art that has stood the test of time.

Critical reception

The album was initially poorly received by critics. It largely turned its back on the quirky new wave pop that Siberry had been known for; in its place was a surreal amalgam of progressive rock and Laurie Anderson-style performance art narratives, only one of which was shorter than six minutes.

Toronto progressive radio station CFNY, an early champion of Siberry's music, announced that it did not view any track on The Walking as viable for airplay on their station. Sales of the album were slow at first, although they improved when Siberry provided radio stations with a shorter edit of "Ingrid and the Footman".