New Music: Thee More Shallows, Glenn Jones, J Dilla

Thee More Shallows - The Dutch Fist (Anticon 2007)

Thee More Shallows – Book of Bad Breaks / Anticon

I rambled at length about Anticon's recent stylistic mutation from an underground hip-hop label to purveyors of post- most everything in my review of SJ Esau's Wrong Faced Cat Feed Collapse, so I won't retread too much here. If you needed any further proof though, here it is in all its post-pop, post-rock, post-shoegaze, post-folk wonder. It's recent signees Thee More Shallows and their new album Book of Bad Breaks, which I am happy to report finds the already impressive rock band pushing the boundaries established with their acclaimed 2005 album More Deep Cuts and the more recent Monkey vs. Shark EP (one of the few EPs to make the Audiversity Top 60 of 06). The most striking aspect of More Deep Cuts and the main element that separates the young Bay Area trio from the rest of the pack was the blatant perfectionism. As you know if you read just about any review of that album (mostly because it was splattered all over the accompanying press releases), frontman Dee Kesler spent nearly three years mixing the album to perfection and while that may seem a little overkill, the results absolutely spoke for themselves. For their Anticon debut though, Thee More Shallows have decided to approach recording with a new motto: "minimize to maximize."

Not looking to recreate the obsessed over, brooding and epic post-rock of More Deep Cuts, Kesler, Chavo Fraser and Jason Gonzales went into the studio with a "first thought/best thought" mantra that fits snuggly into Anticon's already established "anything goes" ethos. Their songwriting set-up only included a $50 Casio keyboard, acoustic guitar and drums to further instill their new minimalist approach and the resulting songs certainly reflect this off-the-cuff composing. Instead of the precisely arranged and acutely played material we have come to expect from the band, we get a fractured, raucous and unpredictable collection of songs in Book of Bad Breaks that makes the music just that much more invigorating. Don't get me wrong though, this isn't lo-fi bedroom pop by any means; after laying the minimalist groundwork, the band interweaved complicated layers of strings, synths and feedback with their impressive studio prowess along with inviting label-mate Odd Nosdam to provide drum breaks and some of his signature drone. The final result is a shifty, patchwork album of rich chamber rock and icy post-shoegaze with flares of quirky pop, crunchy noise and atmospheric krautrock that reveals new layers with every spin.

With all but one track clocking in at less than four minutes, Thee More Shallows opted for packing in their ideas in a concise manner. Elements of fellow Anticonians slip in as well, like the odd Why?-like arrangement of “The Dutch Fist” which opens with a subdued, fuzz-out keyboard melody, Kesler’s eerie vocal croon and an oddly-tuned acoustic guitar before blooming into a multi-layered synth-pop anthem. The wall-of-synth approach is utilized often, especially augmenting the already heavily fuzzed low end. It’s mostly heard in the first half of the album, like how it counteracts the whistle-and-coo yearn of “Eagle Rock” and heavily accentuates the already galloping “Night at the Knight School” into another anthemic number. Later on, Kesler and company begin to experiment with different stylistic approaches. “Proud Turkey” utilizes a stop-and-start punk method before crumbling into an elegant string ensemble, and the indie-rockish “Oh Yes, Another Mother” grooves on a serious krautrock beat. Odd Nosdam’s contributions, while probably strung throughout, are most apparent during the final few tunes; the longest track of the album, “The White Mask,” drones along on an off-kilter chord progression played through dark, wavering synths and “Chrome Caps” is mostly just an exercise in cleverly controlling and manipulating feedback.

Book of Bad Breaks is no More Deep Cuts, so don’t expect it to be. It’s the product of a band expanding the boundaries, trying new ideas and utilizing the infinite creative space a freewheeling label like Anticon insists upon. The frayed edges of Bad Breaks will certainly surprise those used to the refined curves of Deep Cuts, but I sincerely don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Hopefully Thee More Shallows will continue on with their studio experimentations because it sounds like this is just the tip of their creativity iceberg. And in the meantime, Anticon adds another excellent entry into their already impressive discography; I can hardly wait for the next unpredictable path they venture down.






Glenn Jones - David & the Phoenix (Strange Attractors 2007)

Glenn Jones – Against Which the Sea Continually Beats / Strange Attractors

I spent all Sunday morning listening to the even-toned, elegant guitar playing of Gabor Szabo and his penchant for lyrically snaking through recognizable themes. Well I spent all Sunday evening listening to Glenn Jones and his similarly inspired guitar work, especially sharing the Indian raga influence. But while Szabo would express himself by patiently plucking linearly, Jones opts for flurries of fluttering overtones in a very layered, swirling manner coming off much more American folk than Hungarian folk. Concretely in the school of Takoma and American Primitivism, Jones is a descendent of John Fahey’s ambitious approach to the guitar; his actual playing style leans toward traditional country blues fingerpicking but the extravagant compositions reach into the world of avant-garde and neoclassicism. With Steffen Basho-Junghans, Jones is among the contemporary musicians continuing the tradition of Fahey, Leo Kottke, Robbie Basho and Peter Lang. A tradition started by the American blues men, country string bands and backwoods folk artists in the 20s and 30s, continued through Takoma and similar artists like Sandy Bull, embellished with paralleled practices in Europe and India, mainly Django Reinhardt and Ravi Shankar respectively, and brought back full circle with the cultured class of masterful guitar players today. Against Which the Sea Continually Beats pays homage to all these past guitar aficionados while paving out an individual path for Jones so he one day will be rightfully grouped with his idols (though he pretty much is already).

Glenn Jones is a cultured, multi-talented musician in his own right. Most notably, he has led the experimental instrumental rock band Cul de Sac for more than fifteen years and eight full-length records. On the solo side of Jones’ career, he has soundtracked a couple of films, and collaborated with his mentor Fahey on 1997’s The Epiphany of Glenn Jones on Thirsty Ear and former Can vocalist Damo Suzuki for 2004’s Abhayamudra on Strange Attractors. With Cul de Sac apparently on a brief hiatus, Jones has been touring and writing incessantly all the while fulfilling the claim of him being one of the key players in the new guitar soli movement. His latest full-length further establishes the guitar aficionado as nearly being in a world of his own as far as technical prowess and emotional resonance goes.

Recorded in four days within the island community of West Tinsbury, Martha’s Vineyard, MA, this geographical setting is an obvious influence on Against Which the Sea Continually Beats (yes, I do enjoy pointing out the blatantly obvious). Like the ocean, Jones’s guitar playing ebbs and flows with tranquility and grace. His 12-string flurries elegantly wash over each other like calm oncoming waves and all of his environmental and musical influences are crisply and clearly reflected when studying the music from above. The two center pieces of the album, “Freedom Raga” and “The Teething Necklace (for John Fahey)” are the best examples of this as he patiently transcends straight mimicking his influences by reflecting them through his own personal style. Both songs reach well over the ten minute mark, the former being an easily relatable raga-inspired anthem and the latter, a tranquil, effervescing homage to his mentor (it’s also a tune he has been patiently perfecting since Fahey’s passing in 2001). While shorter explorations into minimal blues and folk tie the album together, I find myself repeatedly hypnotized by songs like “David & the Phoenix,” which features a colorful blend of cascading overtones, or, on the other side of the spectrum, the delicate crawl of “Heartbreak Hill.” Against Which the Sea Continually Breaks is a wonderful and mesmerizing album of masterful guitar work from one of contemporary music’s finest. It’s a graceful, nuanced, tranquil affair that is perfect for any time you need a break from the cacophony of every day life.






J Dilla - Reckless Driving (Stones Throw 2007, originally Mummy 2003)

J Dilla – Ruff Draft / Stones Throw

I wrote this blurb on Sunday and was going to expand upon it for today's post, but Pitchfork just put up their review of the album today and I see no need to compete. Nate Patrin's lengthy write-up pretty much nails it and there is no need to retread, so I respectfully point you his way: Pitchfork's Review

My blurb:
We're still recovering from the passing of James Yancey a little over a year ago. One of rap's most innovative producers, Jay Dee's prolific nature continues to reveal layers as we scrounge through is back catalogue, digging up gems we should have been acclaiming prior to his death. Ruff Draft is the third post-mortem release, but it was actually recorded and released in 2003 on Dilla's own Mummy imprint. Left label-less in early 2003 soon after Common's Electric Circus due to Geffen's acquiring MCA, Dilla decided to concentrate on his solo career after a decade of supplying beats and production for other artists. After years of soundtracking the backpacking movement, Yancey wanted to revert back to the raunchy and raw sounds of out-of-the-trunk, sample-heavy rap and bring it back to the cassette. He excels endlessly as you get a sneak peak at the transformation from Dee to Dilla, Electric Circus to Champion Sound, promising producer to prolific artist. An extremely rare 12" up until this release, Stones Throw continues to show infinite, warranted love for Yancey and the amazing music he made.