SONIC YOUTH WERE NOT THE ONLY ELDER STATESMEN TO ENLIST O'ROURKE TO PEP UP THEIR STYLE IN THE EARLY 00S: WILCO DID TOO. WE'LL LEARN MORE ABOUT THAT LATER I GUESS.
LOOSE FUR WAS A GROUP OF JEFF FROM WILCO, GLENN NOT YET OF WILCO, AND JIM. STORY GOES IS THAT THE EARLY LOOSE FUR STUFF (WHICH MUST BE PRE-2001) INSPIRED JEFF TO OVERHAUL WILCO, FIRSTLY SACKING THE DRUMMER AND REPLACING HIM WITH GLENN (HIMSELF AN EXPERIMENTAL MUSICIAN) BEFORE GETTING JIM TO DO SOME STUFF FOR HIS DAYJOB TOO.
THIS ALSO COMES FROM THE PERIOD WHERE JIM IS NOT FLIRTING WITH REGULAR MUSIC BUT ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN IT AND GETTING QUITE THE HIGH REP (GLENN ALSO PLAYS ON A LOT OF JIM'S NORMAL RECORDS OF THIS TIME TOO). EVEN ON THIS, OSTENSIBLY A SIDE BAND, THERE'S A SUSTAINED COMMUNICATION WITH FAMILIAR STRUCTURES AND CONSONANT MELODIES, EVEN THOUGH THINGS ARE LOOSER AND TEASED OUT MORE THAN, SAY, A REGULAR WILCO RECORD.
ELEGANT TRANSACTION SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING OFF INSIGNIFICANCE AND I DARESAY HAD JIM PUT THAT ON IT WOULD BE AN EVEN STRONGER RECORD. JUST GENERALLY-SPEAKING HERE, THOUGH I RESPECT JEFF TWEEDY'S SONGWRITING JUST FINE AND HE HAS A NICE VOICE, IT REALLY IS THE O'ROURKE-SUNG MATERIAL THAT I PREFER.
SOME OF IT SOUNDS LIKE ALTERNATIVE WILCO SONGS, THE ONES THAT WEREN'T QUITE MADE TO TRANSLATE TO 5000 CAPACITY AMPITHEATRES IN SUMMER. FOLK ROCK WITH SOME EXPERIMENTAL TOUCHES AND GENUINE INTERPLAY AND COMMUNICATION. I HAVEN'T REALLY LISTENED TO THIS FOR 15 YEARS BUT IT STANDS UP WELL AND I THINK IT DESERVES A CERTIFIED: GOOD.
CERTIFIED: GOOD.
No comments:
Post a Comment