Jookabox have graduated (they did awhile ago, actually) from their Grampall days, and have, in the transition, switched out their instruments in preference of playing music reflected off the summer sun. Those thick, rope-beams of light their strings, and with objects of tin, plenty reflected moments of buttery drumming. The repurposing of sunshine for sound is what makes Jookabox the plenty-wonderful maestros of hyper-avant pop music; and dancing. The thought of using the sun this way (and to use the SUN, that in and of itself) is a testament to the imagination of these blokes. It plays out in their tunes. Imagination balled up then exploded. A full stream of joy-turned songs in a constant barrage.
Though, unfortunately, there is an Icarus element to this tale. The Eye of the Fly is, apparently, the moment of Jookabox being, with their playing of the sun, burned flush to the core. As their Bandcamp proclaims: “Jookabox is dead[,] long live Jookabox.”
Making the album a well spun tombstone, meant for revisiting often.
Julianna Barwick, after releasing two indescribably gorgeous EPs, has finally graced us with this, her first full length album. According to Barwick, The Magic Place is named after a cavernous Louisiana farm tree from her youth, one whose twisting trunk and branches created a series of hollows – or rooms – with which you could enter and lay about in. On her debut (feels odd to say in 2011), Barwick manages the same effect with her gauzy, multi-layered vocals, wrapping them around each other in a swaddling quilt of sound – something you can enter and lay about in. It’s paralyzing in a way, it’s so beautiful. Of course, if you’ve listened to Barwick’s music in the past, this is no surprise. Her music is the kind that makes you want to stop everything else you’re doing (blinking, breathing) and just soak in the pure magnificence of tone that she’s created. Her voice is as close to angelic as I can imagine the human voice sounding. And The Magic Place does exactly what you wanted her previous two EPs to do – it extends. May not be possible to create something prettier than this.
Chris Schlarb Psychic Temple
(2010, Asthmatic Kitty)
RIYL = I Heart Lung, Mary Halvorson, Dirty Three
Composer/guitarist/collagist Chris Schlarb isn’t one to rush things. It has been a good three years since his gorgeous debut, Twilight & Ghost Stories (one of my favourite records of the past decade), blew my mind. What a gift that album was. The stretch has allowed me ample time to get completely psyched for his follow up, which has now finally been released, and I must say, is stunning. As an artist, I respect Schlarb greatly for his immense creativity and communal approach to making art. Similar to his debut, Psychic Temple is filled to the brim with contributors. Some notable members of this swelling 29 person crew includes the gorgeous vocal talent of Julianna Barwick, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter DM Stith and Weird Weeds percussionist Nick Hennies. Of course, amidst 29 talented musicians, the list could go on and on, but suffice it to say, Schlarb’s been working with the best of the best. And it shows. Psychic Temple is a statement of pure elation. And, under the patient, meticulous guidance of Schlarb, is a singular world where brassy horn conversations, ghostly vocal choirs, fluttering drums and Schlarb’s signature guitar work, all melt into one another in order to produce a body of sound that envelopes the listener. Similar to Twilight & Ghost Stories, Psychic Temple is a collage of sounds, however, this time around, everything seems to fit together much more smoothly, the coarse edges having been sanded away, setting loose a musical flow that enters the ear canals without resistance. The album is hypnotic. Meditative. It’s introspective, allowing, through the psychic gestures of the instruments, the resignation of the body and the heightened activity of the mind. The intent isn’t to lull one into slumber (though I can’t say it couldn’t achieve this with ease), but to provide a space for active reflection on the relevance and influence of beauty. In four fluid movements, Psychic Temple makes a lasting imprint with ease.
Sufjan Stevens All Delighted People EP (2010, Asthmatic Kitty)
RIYL = Sufjan Stevens, or even if you don’t
Plenty of internet space has been and will be devoted Sufjan Stevens and this EP, not to mention his forthcoming full length and upcoming cross country tour, and I don’t seem to generally comment on high profile releases that get this type/amount of attention. What is the point, right? (Though, for the record, it should be made known that I have heavily enjoyed the following acclaimed albums released this year: Cosmogramma, This Is Happening, Suburbs, Teen Dream, Plastic Beach, Sisterworld, Swim, to name just a few.) Regardless, I have been listening to All Delighted People (which, honestly, is more of an LP than a lot of albums that claim such) more than anything else lately. And, I thought it significant that yesterday while driving to work at 5 in the morning – and it should be known that I’d listened to the album several times through at this point – for reasons I don’t fully understand and can’t really explain, I started to really tear up while listening to “Arnika”. The whole EP is really wonderful I think.
Chris Schlarb Twilight & Ghost Stories
(Asthmatic Kitty, 2007)
Chris Schlarb’s Twilight & Ghost Stories is possibly the most painterly album on this list. The music feels like it was created by a variety of brushing, smattering, splotching, dragging, clouding and blending. Schlarb has created an accumulated hodge podge of collected sounds stretched, sifted and gorgeously assembled into this singular, jazz-informed collage. Beautiful and heartbreakingly quaint.
Sufjan Stevens Come On Feel The Illinois
(Asthmatic Kitty, 2005)
Sassigrass and my relationship was kindled by our random meeting at a Sufjan Stevens show on his tour supporting Illinoise. However, Come On Feel The Illinoise doesn’t need nostalgic romances to maintain its power. This is the work of a musical genius. It’s weird to think that this may be the last record of its kind that we hear from Sufjan; but if it is, you can’t say that he didn’t leave us with something absolutely incredible. I find this record to contain some of the most impressively sincere music ever written.
DM Stith Heavy Ghost (03.2009, Asthmatic Kitty) RIYL = The Dirty Projectors, Grizzly Bear, David Thomas Broughton
I don’t know why, but I have had a hard time getting my footing on this debut record, Heavy Ghost by DM Stith. I have listened to the record at least a dozen times over this past weekend (and plan on listening to it dozens and dozens of more times in the very near future) and just can’t quite get my head all the way around it. That, by the way, has been a very good thing. DM Stith has done something fantastic here, something brimming with magic; and oh, that voice! I hope you recognize by the RIYLs above that Stith’s voice is among the master class crooners of our generation. Completely unique in its tenor and, more importantly, its various melodic uses on Heavy Ghost. I’ve been mulling over this record in my head, trying to come to terms with it because I’ve just been plain eager to get something written and onto the interweb for display. This is one of those records that you immediately want to share just because it’s that good. So, aside from my wandering mumbling here, there very best thing you can do is click play on that YouTube player down there and take a listen for yourself. Anyway, I’ve just been thinking to myself “Heavy Ghost, Heavy Ghost,” and upin this reflection I have come to the realization that this is the perfect title. As an admission, I haven’t delved super deeply into Stith’s lyrics yet, but Heavy Ghost feels like the perfect title for this record in terms of aural ambience. There is just something weighty and otherworldly going on here that I’ve had the hardest time putting my finger on. It is not until I just gave up and gave in that I settled with Heavy Ghost, the album title, as the simple explanation for the lush darkness the broods throughout this little masterpiece here. I have noticed a couple comparisons to Grizzly Bear as a similar artist when reading reviews on Heavy Ghost. I agree with the comparison, there are some parallel lines of thought here, but just for the record: Heavy Ghost is just about ten times better than Veckatimest. Mmmm, there is just so much to love here and it is so consistently exultant. Stith places his vocals all over this thing like little ghostly haunts appearing as a cloud of mist behind his lead vocal lines. The orchestration here is incredible as well. Heavy Ghost is fleshed out fully, centered mostly on guitars but accompanied with al manner of brass, strings supplementation. It is al placed perfectly too. Nothing is overdone or underdone; it has all been managed with the perfect restraint. Heavy Ghost is a theater of baroque specters that have been bedded with the perfect balance of indulgence and restraint. For those who know me this will be the recommendation that is of most worth: DM Stith is an album that you must purchase on vinyl. It is that good. Something you will want to have on your shelf (and the album art is delicious as well), something you will want to drown out your nights. This is one of those debuts that mark the emergence of a truly bright new artist. DM Stith is one with which you will want to keep tabs on.
I Heart Lung Interoceans (09.2008, Asthmatic Kitty) Verdict = I heart Interoceans
I discovered I Heart Lung after hearing guitarist Chris Schlarb’s amazing solo debut, Twilight & Ghost Stories. The beauty of that release promised that anything Schlarb was involved with would definitely be a noteworthy endeavor. Interoceans proves that assumption correct. I Heart Lung is an improvisational duo consisting of Schlarb and drummer Tom Steck. Together as team I Heart Lung, the two create expansive, textured, improv based compositions that are a little bit jazzy and a little bit proggy and a lot bit immersive and beautiful. Everything on Interoceans feels like it has been stretched and laid over a cool droney undercurrent. In four long tracks, I Heart Lung achieve everything you might imagine from an album with “oceans” in its title. There are serene, expansive moments, cluttered wavy moments and deep ominous moments that flow throughout the album. I hate to throw in the organic tag, but there is something distinctly organic about the feel of this record which is dissimilar to anything else I have ever thought was “organic” sounding before. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something about the mood of Interoceans that is wholly unique and a real pleasure to get lost in. Schlarb and Steck have obviously developed a pretty fluid musical chemistry because Interoceans feels note perfect despite its improvisational aesthetics. For those unaccustomed to the more open ended side of composition Interoceans will require some perseverance, but it will undoubtedly be time well spent.
Castanets City of Refuge (10.2008, Asthmatic Kitty) Verdict: So, I've pretty much really liked all the Castanets albums, although I do find First Light's Freeze to have a few minor flaws, but ya I really enjoy this new album.
My adoration for last year's In the Vines is pretty darn high, so high in fact that it solidified Raymond Bryon as one of my fave song writers of the day. So to get a new album from him so soon is pretty great. Now, due to the quickness of this follow up I honestly wasn't expecting a whole lot, but City of Refuge packs quite the punch and is a welcome addition to the Castanets near flawless back catalogue. This album is the result of three weeks of isolation in a small town Nevada hotel room. Given the locale, the instrumentation is far sparser than previous efforts; we don't even hear a single percussive instrument the entire album. What we do get is a variety of minimal keyboard experiments, guitar instrumentals, and Raymond still writing songs that carry his patented air of sorrow and heartbreak. To soften the blow of some of the darker tracks, Raymond includes a cover of the traditional gospel tune, "I'll fly away" and a song his Father penned about the fall of Adam and Eve. While not as ambitious as In the Vines, City of Refuge is every bit as genuine and emotional, and I'd dare say a bit more intimate. Another great Castanets release and a must listen for anyone who has a pension for reverbed-out folk and americana.
Chris Schlarb Twilight & Ghost Stories (12.2007, Asthmatic Kitty) Verdict = A Mess of Patchwork Beauty
With Twilight & Ghost Stories, seasoned experimental guitarist Chris Schlarb has sewn together a patchwork quilt that is as comfortable, sentimental and ragged as the one you’ve been draggin’ around since child birth. Employing field recordings, and friend’s recordings along with his own instrumentation and final editing, Twilight & Ghost Stories floats by like a like bright midnight clouds that alternately obscure and reveal the stars that shine behind them. Some of the notable contributors here are Sufjan Stevens, Ray Raposa of Castanets, Half-Handed Cloud and Dirty Projector, Dave Longstreth. There are plenty more contributors as well in a project that took five years to complete, but you would never know it if it wasn’t for their inclusion in the liner notes. In fact the only time I was able to identify someone was when Longstreth’s unmistakable elastic voice surfaces in “Section IV.” Released on Sufjan’s Asthmatic Kitty label, Schlarb is the first among an assumed series of artists to follow that are being labeled “unusual animals.” Schlarb’s work is definitely a departure from the largely pop oriented roster on AK but is not out of place in his light, life affirming delivery. There is a certain air of comfort in the collage that I haven’t heard since The Books debut, Thought For Food. In all its abstraction, Twilight & Ghost Stories maintains a resilient degree of heart and an inviting, humanizing touch that allows the album to employ the sum of its many parts equitably and to great satisfaction. I think the real achievement of the album is its replay value. You can’t just listen to the record once and go. “huh, that was nice,” and move onto the next album in your CD player. Once the album draws you in it becomes necessary to listen to it again and again, not only to dig deeper into the wealthy depth of motifs but also to simply enjoy the record once more. For all of Schlarb’s output elsewhere, Twilight & Ghost Stories is his most assured release to date and a lost gem released late in 2007.
