is a guitarist/producer/composer/all-around virtuoso who is continually upping the standards for greatness in music.  He’s pulled off a stint in Sonic Youth and done an with ; he’s produced albums for artists as diverse as , Wilco and Tony Conrad, while genre-hopping all over the place on his own, from pop (Eureka), minimalist drone (Long Night) and avant-garde classical (Terminal Pharmacy) to -style American Primitive (Bad Timing) and alternative rock (Insignificance).  This guy really refuses to be pinned down, and in doing so proves himself a serious creative force to be reckoned with.  All of his releases are worth keeping an eye out for, unfortunately however his output is very eccentric so first-timers may not find what they are looking for right off the bat. Stick with it, though; your investment will pay hundredfold!

Jim O’Rourke – Ghost Ship in a Storm

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As far as I’m concerned, Jim O’Rourke’s pop songwriting skills are unmatched.  On Eureka, which was my first exposure to his solo work, he blends a sort of singer-songwriter approach with very appropriate orchestration, conjuring in my mind as it were the image of a modern-day Burt Bacharach.  It does help that he does an amazing cover of Burt’s “Something Big” (admittedly my favorite track on the album), but even withstanding that, the natural skill and ease he displays in his melody and sense of arrangement is truly impressive.

Gastr del Sol – Our Exquisite Replica of “Eternity”

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was a Chicago-based band in which O’Rourke played a key part (alongside ) from 1993 to 1998. Though they did feature vocals on many of their tracks, the band was mainly an instrumental rock group, primarily playing ‘post-rock’ or ‘math-rock.’  In this respect they were akin to other similar groups like (whose Bundy Brown and John McEntire were founding members) and (whose name originates from a misinterpretation of the band’s song “The C in Cake”), though they tended toward those directions that Jim would further pursue after his tenure with the band.  “Our Exquisite Replica of ‘Eternity'” is typical of these directions; it was a film score written by O’Rourke that for some reason or another was never used on the screen.

Jim O’Rourke – Despite the Water Supply

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This song was from Jim’s appearance on the exceptional Touch Music label’s Touch7 series of 7-inch singles that appeared throughout 2008.  Really, this label is home to the , as far as and and is concerned.  “Part I” on the A-side (featured here) is a nice electro-acoustic drone piece, similar to his work on Long Night, that more or less repeats itself for the B-side, the surprisingly titled “Part II.”  Such subtlety and beauty is difficult to pull off; this kind of music is perfectly understated.

Fennesz, O’Rourke and Rehberg – Fenn O’Berg Theme

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Out of all of O’Rourke’s consistently great projects, is probably the most jawdroppingly awesome.  In teaming up with computer music wizards and (who produces noise music as Pita and founded the experimental Mego label), Jim got an entirely new ball rolling, as the trio gets in to some serious algorithm-based improvisational electronic music.  Anyone who knows Fennesz or Pita knows what they are in for and Fenn O’Berg does not disappoint!  This group is especially highly regarded in my book because of their use of the computing software Max/MSP, and this song is a great example of that, as it takes a sample from and puts it through the blender for really exciting results.  While Jim’s I’m Happy and I’m Singing and a 1, 2, 3, 4 touches on a similar electronic-noise vein, in my opinion it just cannot touch the magic that these guys have created together.  Mego has just reissued their two albums as the double-CD Magic and Return, and the band is apparently preparing a new album and tour for 2010.  For all my real nerds only. Bang it in ya whip on some real live shit!

Posted in Music Posted by on Nov 10 2009 12:00 pm

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