Jim O'Rourke Resurfaces in Time Out Tokyo

Ever since Jim O'Rourke moved to Japan, interviews with the reclusive musician have become an increasingly rare occurrence. Honestly, we haven't really heard much from the guy outside of some press for his 2009 release The Visitor, his Burt Bacharach covers album and an appearance on Japanese TV singing Enka. Thankfully, Time Out Tokyo's James Hadfield managed to catch up with O'Rourke over the course of an extensive interview, touching on everything from his favorite Led Zeppelin album (Presence, naturally) to the cancelation of the I'll Be Your Mirror concert he was curating.

True to form, O'Rourke drops some of the most salient information late in the interview, announcing his intent to release a new record in the vein of Eureka and Insignifiance:

"I'm sure people would probably be happier if I was doing more of the song things, but I kind of want to keep that separate, because I'm almost done with the next song record – after 12 goddamn years."

He goes on to briefly describe the new record, explaining that he's hoping to finish and release it later this year. He also wants to play the songs live (though his comments on the futility of touring earlier in the interview seem to negate the possibility of performances outside of Japan):

"Lyrics and singing and rude, rude subjects. I've recorded, like, five of them already, and I just won't finish them… I don't know. Probably this year, I'll finally put it out, and then I really want to do the band show, really properly. The band show will probably be fairly loose – which is how I usually do it, actually. I don't tell the band which song we're going to play until we're about to play it on stage; I don't do setlists or anything like that."

O'Rourke also finds a moment to heap some praise on recent Delta Faucet spokesman Glenn Kotche:

"...those were people I'd played with for years, especially Darin Grey, the bass player, and [drummer] Glenn Kotche. Then I introduced Glenn to [Wilco frontman] Jeff Tweedy, and he became GLENN KOTCHE. Basically, I was spoilt, because for ten years I could never find another drummer who was Glenn Kotche – because there isn't."

Other major takeaways from the transcript: O'Rourke hates MP3s and Led Zeppelin's "D'yer Mak'er." For the time being, I'll be keeping my eye on Drag City's weekly newsletters, because a new Jim O'Rourke record can't come out soon enough.

Jim O'Rourke and Thurston Moore Cover Burt Bacharach

The Jim O'Rourke helmed Burt Bacharach tribute record All Kinds of People ~Love Burt Bacharach~ dropped exclusively in Japan last week. While it is available on the Japanese version of iTunes, short of importing the record, there's no way to legitimately access it in the US. Fortunately, one of the tracks from the record featuring Thurston Moore on vocals and Glenn Kotche on the drums surfaced this week on YouTube. It's a well-crafted cover of the Bacharach standard "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me", showcasing O'Rourke's unique brand of straight-forward production. Hopefully we'll get a few more listens via YouTube in the coming weeks and, god willing, a US release of the record by the end of the year.

Tapes on the Floor's Favorite Albums of 2009

I finally got around to this, a few weeks later than I would have liked, but this year I really needed the extra time to pick my favorites. As I mentioned before, this is the first year I've ever had to set a limit for myself while writing my favorite albums list. I'm not sure if this speaks to the overall quality of 2009 releases or my inability to pick favorites, but I knew I had to narrow things down some. The albums on this list are records that I became attached to almost immediately, and that have stayed in heavy rotation far past their initial release. I narrowed it down to 10, and they're presented here alphabetically by artist:

Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free - Akron/Family
While I've certainly enjoyed some of their work with Angles of Light, I can't say that I've ever been a huge fan of Akron/Family. All that changed the moment I put on this record and heard the opening strains of "Everyone is Guilty". This record takes all the psych-folk leanings of their previous work, pumps up the volume and puts it in a pretty rock n' roll package. That's not to say that the group's more nuanced, finger-picked acoustic tunes are left by the wayside, quite the opposite in fact. There are enough sing-a-longs here to make you feel as if you're sitting around a campfire with the band, more participant than listener. It's a feeling best summed up in the lyrics of the song "River": 'You and I and a flame make three'.

Keep It Hid - Dan Auerbach
Who knows what possessed Auerbach to take these particular songs and strike out on his own, but the resulting album was well worth the trouble. It's not that these songs couldn't have been perfectly good Black Keys tracks, it's just that the end result is a bit different sounding than usual. And therein lies this album's charm, from the soft strains of the acoustic album opener "Trouble Weighs a Ton" to the the southern rock swing of "My Last Mistake". All of this is anchored by Auerbach's most important instrument: his voice, which still sounds like its pulled straight off of some old blues record. Something tells me this won't be his last solo outing, but we probably won't see another for a few years. Fine with me, I'm still enjoying this one for all it's worth.

Embryonic - Flaming Lips
After two back to back career-defining albums, the Lips' 2006 record At War With the Mystics was a bit of a letdown. Thankfully, I think Wayne and the rest of the guys felt the same way, which is how, in 2009, we ended up with one the group's weirdest albums in years. It sounds thrown together in the best sense, an album that isn't overly produced or planned out, like we're listening to the band in the studio making their own completely unfiltered brand of rock and roll. Sonically, there are some amazing moments on this album, from the pulsing krautrock of "Convinced of the Hex" to the swirling distorted groans of "Worm Mountain". It's a record that has a very definite sound to it, one that successfully combines just about everything this band is really great at doing. And, if the title is to be believed, this is only the beginning of the Flaming Lips' rebirth.

Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear
Nevermind that small Massachusetts island, to me the name Veckatimest will forever be synonymous with the sound of a band that sounds completely comfortable in their own skin. Grizzly Bear embraced every characteristic that makes them unique and crafted an album that is blatantly unapologetic. The pop sensibility demonstrated on this record is staggering; these are songs in which every note is carefully placed for maximum impact. First, there's the unrequited longing of "Two Weeks", set against a bouncing, jovial keyboard melody. Then, the outright confessions of "Ready Able" riding atop swirling guitars and minimalist rhythm. And finally, the sweeping crescendos of "While You Wait for the Others", the centerpiece of a record overflowing with noteworthy moments.

The Visitor - Jim O'Rourke
Eight years after his last Drag City release, O'Rourke finally saw fit to bless us with another record. The Visitor consists of a single, 38-minute instrumental track, meticulously arranged and performed exclusively by O'Rourke. It's admittedly a challenging record to listen to, as it's best experienced in one rather long sitting. But if you're an O'Rourke nerd like myself, it's one of the most rewarding listening experiences you can have. It's a veritable symphony, replete with shifting movements which build, repeat, and evolve throughout the course of the track. O'Rourke's inclusion of small nods to his prior work is the icing on an already sumptuous cake. The Visitor is O'Rourke at his best; an extremely enjoyable ride through the mind of a man who is nothing short of a musical genius.

Let's Build a Roof - LAKE
For a group that started off as a Fleetwood Mac tribute band, LAKE sure have come into their own. Let's Build a Roof is collection of succinct pop rock songs, all constructed around the theme of forging ahead and creating something beautiful. It's a fitting message for an album that truly seems to embody the ethos it imparts. Towards the beginning of the record a track called "Madagascar" acts as the manifestation of reluctance, with it's echoing refrain of 'I wanna give up'. By the album's conclusion, an extremely catchy rhodes and saxophone driven number called "Don't Give Up" provides the juxtaposition to that prior sentiment. A rotating cast of male and female singers lend further contrast, all atop spotlessly clean production work care of K-Records mainstay Karl Blau. LAKE takes songs that could easily come off as coy or disingenuous and adds the feeling needed to make them truly inspirational.

The Eternal - Sonic Youth
In my mind, Rather Ripped was Sonic Youth's version of the straight ahead rock record, whereas The Eternal finds the band sounding more like themselves than they have in quite some time. Guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo continue to mature, finding new ways to make noise part of their songs, not the foundation upon which they are built. Kim Gordon is in particularly fine form here, providing the lead vocals on two of the album's more upbeat tracks, "Sacred Trickster" and "Malibu Gas Station". Another highlight is "Poison Arrow", which is a good summation of what the band is currently capable of. Much like John Fahey's swirling cover art, this record is a blend of the band's sounds and textures from throughout the years. It doesn't exist to draw comparisons, but to show that Sonic Youth is just as formidable now as they always have been.

Beacons of Ancestorship - Tortoise
The forefathers of the Chicago post-rock scene return once again with a record that sounds quite different from anything they've previously done, yet still absolutely recognizable as a Tortoise album. The synth-heavy opening track "High Class Slim Came Floatin' In" provides a pretty good indication of the electronic tone this record takes. Keyboard blend into guitars which in turn blend into drum machines creating a dense sound-scape that quickly becomes something much different than the sum of its parts. Tracks like "Penumbra" and "Monument Six One Thousand" sometimes sound like sketches or pure experimentation, but fit within the context of this record. Tortoise is a group unafraid of trying something different, and on this record you can hear that joy of sonic discovery.

Tight Knit - Vetiver
Frontman Andy Cabic has a knack for writing songs that are quiet and understated, yet brimming with an emotional warmth and depth that's lacking in much of modern folk music. Tight Knit collects ten such songs, beautifully recorded and produced to bring out even more of that aforementioned warmth and depth. Whether it's the dual acoustic guitars of "Rolling Sea" or the clinking triangle of "Sister", every detail of these recordings is beautifully realized. On one of the album's more upbeat tracks entitled "Another Reason to Go", Cabic flirts with a sort of funk-folk hybrid complete with a horn section, and the amazing thing is that it works flawlessly. On Tight Knit, you can hear Vetiver springing to life in the studio, turning in one of the best records of the year from a band whose best work is likely yet to come.

Wilco (the album) - Wilco
The more I hear this record, the more I feel like it may be the quintessential Wilco album. Granted, it's not my favorite of their discography, but every time I listen to it, it creeps up that ladder a bit more. This is Wilco (the band) playing songs that are uniquely their own. I don't think anyone else could get away with writing a song about their band, but "Wilco (the song)" works as an ode to fans and a distillation of what this group is all about. There's a sense of adventure present here, manifesting itself in the unconventional arrangement of "Deeper Down" and the driving staccato stabs of "Bull Black Nova". There's also an encompassing familiarity, exemplified in the classic rock stomp of "You Never Know" and the alt-country twang of "I'll Fight". It's a record that sums up what Wilco is capable of while simultaneously exploring new sonic territory.

Jim O'Rourke Returns!

You're looking at the cover art of The Visitor, the first Jim O'Rourke record in over 8 years. The album will be hitting record stores on September 8 via Drag City records. The album consists of a single, 39-minute long instrumental track that is reminiscent of O'Rourke's work on his 1997 release Bad Timing. You might also remember that Bad Timing's cover depicted a painting of a disco ball similar to the one being smashed on the sleeve of this record. Could this indicate a (years late) bookend of sorts to O'Rourke's song-based output? Only time will tell, but for now, I'm just estatic that this is seeing the light of day.

Live Review: Wilco in Athens

I think it's telling that the prospect of going to a Wilco concert is still something that excites me to no end. Sure, you hear the same songs, but every time I've seen them there's been something that has made that particular experience unique. Back in 2005, I met most of the band before the show at Used Kids records in Columbus, Ohio; back then I was a 16-year old kid meeting rockstars. The year after that I saw Wilco in a festival setting at Tall Stacks in Cincinnatti, a much more communal experience to say the least. The following year I found myself back in Cincinnatti seeing the band at the Aronoff; one of the best sounding venues I've ever been in, and meeting the group again one by one after the show. My experience in my adopted hometown of Athens was an entirely different animal, and possibly the best Wilco-related experience I'll ever have.I made a trip to Memorial Auditorium early Friday to pick up my tickets for the show and ran into Nels Cline on the sidewalk outside the venue. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to put together an interview for my radio show since all those requests have to be approved by management (and Wilco's manager insisted that the band was far to busy to humor a lowly college radio student with an interview). Anyways, Nels was extremely helpful and pointed me in the direction of their tour manager, who gave me essentially the same schpeel. Feeling slightly forlorn, I got a call from my dad (he and my sister came to town to see the show) telling me that he had just run into Wilco bassist John Stirratt, who Jana spotted, with whom he apparent hit it off with, so much so that John put us on the guest list for the show's afterparty. I was ecstatic to say the least, and very impressed with my dear old dad.
I made it to the show about halfway through A Hawk and A Handsaw's opening set. After getting to see Low open for Wilco, I think I'm a little spoiled as far as quality opening acts go. A Hawk and A Handsaw were interesting, but not the kind of group that I'd normally peg as a rock concert opener. It was enjoyable enough, but it was obvious that the crowd was fairly eager to get to the night's main attraction. Wilco took the stage and launched into "Hell is Chrome"; certainly one of my favorite songs thanks to it piano-centric nature and also just a great sounding live tune. They also got around to playing "You Are My Face" fairly quickly; one of my favorite songs on Sky Blue Sky and one that I hadn't seen them play live. It was fairly obvious (at least from where I was sitting) that the venue wasn't the best sounding place in the world, there were times where you could hear things bouncing around, but the group really took it in stride. Nels was particularly on top of things, with his solo during "Side with the Seeds" being a highlight of the show. Another great surprise was the A.M. track "Shouldn't Be Ashamed"; those old songs sound so great with this lineup of the band. Tweedy kept fairly quiet during the show, although he did pander to the crowd by replacing the word 'Peking' in "Kingpin" with 'Athens', and told us a story about almost getting hit by a golfball while walking around campus. The night was fairly by-the-book as far as Wilco shows go, but as it was my first time seeing the group in over year, I didn't really mind.
Directly following the show, we made our way out back and after Jana and my sister exchanged some words with security, managed to obtain our passes and go backstage. The only other time I'd been backstage after a show was after a Nels Cline and Glenn Kotche solo show at the Wexner Center a few years back, but this was certainly a different experience. Everyone from the band except Jeff was in attendance, and there were maybe 10 or 15 other attendees. John welcomed us in, offering us drinks and thanking us for showing up. We struck up a conversation with Nels, and he told us about some of his upcoming projects, such as a soundtrack to an artbook by Ed Ruscha and the next Scott Amendola Band album (which IS still on it's way, although probably not until next year). For being such a great guitarist, Nels is a very humble guy; he expressed how grateful he was to have a well-paying gig like Wilco that allowed him to work on much smaller, less lucrative projects. Next, we talked briefly with keyboardist Mikael Jorgenson, who was glad to hear that his group Pronto's debut record All is Golden was getting some spins on WOUB.

Finally we got to Glenn, a guy who I was really looking forward to asking some questions to, my first one being; What have you heard from Jim O'Rourke about his new album? To my surprise, Glenn said that it was finished, and that he actually had a copy of it, and that it was just as amazing as his previous work. He said that Jim played every instrument on it himself; but being the perfectionist that he is, is still tinkering with it. Glenn also revealed that he and his family had flown out to Japan to visit Jim recently, and that while there he laid down some drum tracks for an entirely different project that Jim is working on. Glenn made it no secret that, like me, he has a huge respect for O'Rourke, going as far as to say that he is the only person he has ever met who he truly considers to be a musical genius. I told Glenn to send my regards to Jim, and to urge him to release an album sometime soon. With that, we took a few more pictures and made our exit, making certain to thank John one more time for his gracious invitation. I don't know if I'll ever top this Wilco experience (maybe Jeff Tweedy taking me out for dinner at Chili's?), but damn, my 16-year old self would be so jealous of me right now.

Posting Resumes, O'Rourke Reissues/Returns, New Pornos Play C-Bus

This is just the kind of news that warrants my first post of the new year; Jim O'Rourke is delivering a new album on Drag City records at some point this year. It's unclear as to if this will be a return to the more pop-oriented sound of Eureka and Insignificance or another decent into whining drones a la Terminal Pharmacy. Suffice to say, it's exciting to hear he's back to producing new material after a pretty significant lapse. To tide us over, Drag City will be reissuing the early O'Rourke release Tamper and the more recent but previously unavailable in the US Osorezan on May 20. Furthermore, Drag City imprint Streamline will be putting out a collection of previously unreleased live O'Rourke drone under the title of Long Nights. My only question is when we'll be getting a new Loose Fur album.

File this next piece of news under "Bands finally making a stop in Columbus": April 11 will see the arrival of the New Pornographers and tour-mates Okkervil River, who will be playing a show at the Newport Music Hall. The Canadian super-group were conspicuously absent from our capital city when they toured in support of Twin Cinema. I just hope Neko Case and Dan Bejar are being included on this tour, as it just wouldn't be a real New Pornos show without them, but from what I can tell, both have open schedules through the month of April. The inclusion of Okkervil River on the bill is a nice bonus, I enjoyed The Stage Names quite a bit, and I hear they put on a sweet live show. A pretty long wait until this one actually happens, but I'm definitely excited about it.

The Retrospective Begins...

As the year comes to a close, it's time for the requisite retrospectives. Before unleashing my favorite records of the year upon the world, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at some albums that should have made the list but didn't for one reason or another. So here goes, Tapes on the Floor's first annual 'Should Have Been One of my Favorite Albums of the Year List':

Album 4 - Doves
What gives guys? You hole up in a studio for a few months, promise a summer release, then neglect your blog for a few more month before breaking the news that it's not happening this year. After 2005's Some Cities, it's been a long wait for some new material. But Doves fans are used to these long waits, as the group are notorious perfectionists, staying in the studio until they have created something they're entirely happy with. At least we've heard a few prospective song titles at this point, so it's obvious they've made some progress. Here's hoping for an early 2008 release...

God Save The Clientele - The Clientele
Strange Geometry was one of my absolute favorite records of 2005, it's one of those albums you listen all the way through, without skipping a track. This would explain my displeasure with their disjointed 2007 release, God Save The Clientele. There are some high points, but it never really gels the way is seems like it should. Not a huge disappointment, but enough so that it cannot be counted among my favorite releases of 2007.

The Black and White Album - The Hives
I've always been a Hives fan; my first real concert was a Hives show and if I'd been blogging in 2004 Tyrannosaurus Hives would have been on my list of favorites. Since then, I haven't had a falling out with the guys, as much as I've wondered where the hell they'd went. Imagine my surprise when I hear of a new album, and a subsequent tour with Maroon 5. Thankfully, The Hives are just as raucous and fun as ever, but their new release doesn't quite live up to their records of old. It experiments a ton, which is admirable, but too many of these experiments fall flat on their face. Maybe next time fellas...

The Next Jim O'Rourke Album - Jim O'Rourke
If Jim O'Rourke had released anything in 2007, it probably would have made my list. I'm still holding out for a soundtrack from one of his films that he's supposedly devoting his time to...

Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
James Murphy didn't get his wish of debuting at number 1 on the charts, but I'd say LCD Soundsystem had a pretty good year anyways (you can't scoff at a tour with Arcade Fire). The album is solid, but it's not all my cup of tea. "Someone Great" and "All My Friends" are the only two tracks I've found myself coming back to; the rest of the record seems to be running dangerously low on hooks.

Podcast No. 3 (The Holidaze Edition)

It's that time of year again, time to curl up in front of a crackling fire and plug into the latest in my expanding line of podcasts. Rest assured, there aren't any Christmas carols, Hanukkah ballads, or Kwanzaa tunes in this edition. My new hosting service is still carrying the last podcast, so I'll keep using it for this one as well. I'll also try and migrate the older one over at some point (for the two of you who want to relive that 'classic'). Shoot me an e-mail if it goes down, and enjoy!
Tapes on the Floor Podcast No. 3
(Intro: "The Neon" - David Witham)
1:45 "Hljómalind" - Sigur Rós
8:07 "I Wanna Be Your Lover" - Yo La Tengo
12:46 "A Tender History in Rust" - Do Make Say Think
18:24 "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" - Spoon
21:53 "Happy Holidays" - Jim O'Rourke

Something Big

A few days ago I was handed a CD containing hours of music by the illustrious Jim O'Rourke. My only previous experience with O'Rourke's music were the magnificent Eureka and Insignificance albums, both of which are more grounded in pop-music than much of his previous work. I also knew him as a member of "supergroup" Loose Fur, a collaborator with Sonic Youth, and the man behind the production of the last two Wilco albums. His pre-Eurkea work is as varied and interesting as one would think. He has dabbled in noise on more than one occasion, but has also crafted some shockingly beautiful instrumental tracks that showed signs of the pop-genius he later demonstrated.

My favorite of this material so far is the brilliant Bad Timing. It combines O'Rourke's love of subtle noise and acoustic instrumentals into a satisfying 4-song opus. The gentle guitar picking of "There's Hell in Hello But More" descends into a layered drone. "94 the Long Way" takes a simple progression and builds upon it by adding more an more instrumentation, before slowly simplifying itself once again for a resounding resolution. Title track "Bad Timing" is another acoustic guitar riff, slowly embellished with dissonant strings and computer generated effects. Closer "Happy Trails" begins with a harsh drone which slowly fades into the requisite guitar that then augments itself into a New Orleans-style romp replete with a horns section. The entire album is reminiscent of the pop sound he would later bring to the forefront with Eureka and Insignificance, but it still retains many of the more experimental elements, such as noise and modulation, which characterized his earlier work. This album was without a doubt the most impressive of the selection of O'Rourke's earlier work that I received.

When O'Rourke left Sonic Youth last year, in order to devote more times to his films, it was inferred that he would not be doing to much in the way of music for quite some time. Aside from a few small releases of older work within the past year or so, this has proved itself to be the case. It's disappointing that a person of such talent seems content to go on an indefinite hiatus, leaving relatively new converts such as myself sifting through his older solo work and collaborations with the avant-garde to satisfy my cravings. However when you're in the middle of a great song like "94 the Long Way", it seems to make the wait a little more bearable. Take your time Jim, we'll still be here waiting.