DISKAHOLICS ANONYMOUS TRIO (2001)

FAIR TO SAY THE ONE OF THE TWO 2006 RELEASES BY DISKAHOLICS DID NOT FLOAT MY BOAT (THE OTHER, WEAPONS OF ASS DESTRUCTION, AHAHHA, IS AS-YET-UNREVIEWED).

I JABBED THIS OFF FIRST TIME I HEARD IT. IT MAKES THE LIVE IN JAPAN DISC FEEL LIKE OUT TO LUNCH OR SOMETHING; JUST THREE GUYS IN ATONAL WANKATHON HEAVEN. I'M NO PHILISTINE: I THINK I UNDERSTAND THE *NEED* FOR FREE JAZZ AND ITS PLACE BOTH AS MUSIC AND VITAL COMMENTARY. I JUST DON'T PARTICULARLY LIKE IT ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S DONE IN AN OBNOXIOUS WAY LIKE THIS. 

GUSTAFSSON REALLY DOMINATES THIS ONE. IF CHUNKY SAX BLAPPING AND UNSTRUCTURED GUITAR NOISE DOES IT FOR YOU THEN DO CHECK THIS OUT. THEY'RE ALL PROS AT WHAT THEY DO: WHAT THEY DO IS NOT FOR ME.

I DO THINK MATS, THURSTON, AND JIM SHOULD BE BANNED FROM WORKING TOGETHER. I EVEN CONSIDER JIM LEAST GUILTY HERE. DUD.

I'M HAPPY, AND I'M SINGING, AND A 1-2-3-4 (2001)

IMAGINE LOVING INSIGNIFICANCE AND RUNNING OUT TO BUY THIS, WHICH IS EMINENTLY POSSIBLE AS THEY WERE THE SAME YEAR AND FAIRLY WIDELY-REVIEWED AND -DISTRIBUTED. THIS IS A FUNNY THOUGHT BECAUSE INSIGNIFICANCE IS UNCUT-MAGAZINE FRIENDLY WORDY FOLK ROCK, WHILST THIS IS...A DIFFERENT WORLD.

THAT SAID, I'M HAPPY IS AN ELECTRONIC AND PROGRESSIVE RECORD BY JIM THAT IS ACTUALLY MARKED BY A GENERAL SENSE OF LISTENABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY. 

 

IF YOU RECALL THAT PIECE BY MATTHEW WEINER THAT SAID, AMONG MANY CRUEL THINGS, THE FOLLOWING:

Despite having left the invention of his music to others, O’Rourke has worked hard to vary his shtick, splicing and combining styles with great command and understanding, a la Bad Timing.

WEINER WAS WRITING IN 2002 AND PERHAPS TOO CLOSE TO APPRECIATE THE EFFECT THAT A RECORD LIKE THIS HAS ON THE FUTURE OF MUSIC. IT'S NOT A TERRIBLE CRITICISM, IN AND AMONG SOME OF THE MEANER THINGS WEINER SAYS, TO SUGGEST THAT O'ROURKE TRAILS IN THE WAKE OF PIONEERS AND UNDERSTANDS THEIR LANGUAGE WITHOUT CREATING NEARLY AS MUCH HIMSELF.

HOWEVER, I SUBMIT: THIS RECORD DOES. IT IS A CLEAR BRIDGE BETWEEN THE OUTER WORLDS OF LAPTOP JIGGERY-POKERY AND THE GLITCH-INFLECTED POP WORLD TO COME. ADMITTEDLY DNTEL, WHOSE FIRST RECORD CAME OUT AT AROUND THE SAME TIME, MIGHT LAY CLAIM TO A MORE SIGNIFICANT STAKE IN THE SONIC OUTCOME (THOUGH O'ROURKE'S WAS RECORDED BETWEEN 1997 AND 1999). BUT THIS IS AS MUCH OF A FOUNDING STONE.

 

THIS GOES ALONGSIDE EARLY FENNESZ AND EKKEHARD EHLERS AND NOBEKAZU TAKEMURA IN THE PANTHEON OF IMPORTANT AND HUMAN-CENTRED ELECTRONIC MUSIC OF 01/02 THAT STILL STANDS UP TODAY. THE CLOSING TRACK 'AND A 1-2-3-4' IS SOME OF JIM'S BEST WORK TO DATE FROM BOTH THE PERSPECTIVE OF 2001 AND THE PERSPECTIVE OF THIS ERA-AGNOSTIC BLOG.

CERTIFIED: GOOD

INSIGNIFICANCE (2001)

THE RECORDS OF JIM O'ROURKE UNLIKE THE RECORDS OF SAY MICHAEL JACKSON OR BLACK FLAG OR ROY ORBISON DO NOT REALLY LEND THEMSELVES TO A WIDER CULTURAL MEMORY. THEY'RE PRODUCTS OF AN ARTIST OUTSIDE OF ANY ZEITGEIST. AND AS SUCH THERE ARE NO CONSUMER PRODUCTS TO ATTACH TO HIS WORK, NO COOL DESIGNS, NO DANCES, NO FILMED MOMENTS THAT EXIST IN WIDER SOCIAL CONTEXTS AND MEMORIES.

INSIGNIFICANCE DOES AT LEAST HAVE SOME MEMORY FOR ME. I BOUGHT IT THE YEAR IT WAS RELEASED (2001) FROM A GUY IN THE FACTORY I WAS TEMPING IN. HE SOLD THE RELEASES OF THE DAY BY DOWNLOADING THEM AND BURNING THEM OFF. NOT ALL OF US HAD THE INTERNET THEN SO £3 FOR CDS THAT WOULD COST £15 IN ANDY'S RIP-OFF-BASTARD RECORDS. 

I REMEMBER WHEN HE HANDED OVER THIS HE SAID "OH, I LISTENED TO THAT ON THE WAY IN. IT'S REALLY SHIT." I WAS 18 AND CRUSHED IN THE FACE OF THIS BURLY FORKLIFT OPERATOR.

ANYWAY I LIKED IT A LOT. MY FRIEND DAVID (MENTIONED IN THE REVIEW OF JIM.COMPUTER.HOTEL) WAS VERY SURPRISED BY THIS RECORD AS IT SEEMED TO BE A COMPLETE VOLTE-FACE FROM THE CLINICAL LAPTOP PONDERINGS HE HAD SEEN A FEW MONTHS PRIOR. THIS IS ROCK AND ROLL. IS THIS A DIFFERENT JIM O'ROURKE, HE WONDERED?

I STILL LIKE IT A LOT. THE TWO ELECTRIC ROCK SONGS HAVE GREAT RIFFS AND JIM'S VOICE IS JUST RIGHT, A WARM LOW-SUNG TENOR, DRIPPING WITH SARCASM (WELL HE WOULDN'T WANT TO DO ROCK THAT WAS *SINCERE* WOULD HE?). THESE SONGS HAVE LITTLE LEFTWARD LURCHES BUT ALL WITHIN THE REALMS OF SONG AND SONGLINESS. 

BUT REALLY IT'S THE OTHER 5 SONGS THAT ARE WORTH THE PRICE OF ENTRY; THESE WARM VAGUELY VAN DYKE PARKS/JACK NITZSCHE THINGS LACED WITH FUNNY (AND A BIT CRUEL!) LINES AND MORDANT BEAUTY. 

 

THIS COMES, AS YOU WILL SEE, TOWARD THE END OF A RUN WITH DRAG CITY WHERE JIM MAKES SOME NICE AND VAGUELY NORMAL MUSIC. THE EFFECT OF THIS RECORD IN CONTRAST WITH HIS INSTRUMENTAL AND DETACHED MUSIC FOR 'APPRECIATION' IS DEVASTATING WHEN YOU COMPREHEND HOW WELL HE'S MASTERED THE SYNTAX OF EACH. THE EFFECT IS AKIN TO USAIN BOLT TURNING UP IN THE OLYMPIC JAVELIN AND COMING SECOND. 

CERTIFIED: GOOD