![]() More claustrophobic with the guitars higher in the max and Ryley letting loose vocally with an intensity that contrasts with the softer-sung approach of the first three songs. Pharoah's Plastic, the final track, is the highlight. Second Strand is lighter of touch, soft and wistfully meandering, comfortable in its own skin and steadfastly refusing to conform to normal songwriting structures and going with the flow. Trace Ghosts captures the improvisational spirit of Ryley's work, it feels fresh-baked, laid down before the wandering mind and spirit has moved on particularly in the second half which feels like an intense intuitive jam played out by four men with a real connection to each other. Whilst you might not quite always be able to get exactly what Ryley is getting at - "fangs tarnished in bold but never curved, fumes held for a daydream, where I’m limbless wigged out and clear blue, touch has memory and redness" from the opener So Certain Tall Tales doesn't necessarily make sense written down, but wrapped in the music the words don't need to, they form part of the whole that comes together as a mood. Like Course In Fable, there's a wonderful light touch to these songs, an unfussy unclustered approach to the sound that allows the subtle detail in the instrumentation and the warm lived-in vocals to really draw you in. The So Certain EP is a more traditional record, laid down with long-term collaborator Bill MacKay on guitar, Andrew Scott-Young on bass and cello and Quin Kirchner on drums and percussion, the former two who'd worked with him on Course In Fable. Not just content with releasing his own solo album Course In Fable last year, he also put out a number of collaborations inspired by the improvisational spirit that runs through his live shows where songs take on a life of their own often detached from their recorded origins. You can show your support by becoming a Patron at our Patreon account or you can make a donation to our PayPal account below.Ryley Walker is one of the most prolific artists around. If you like what you’re reading, please help keep RCU thriving. This might be Walker at the height of his powers.Ĭlick here to pick this album up for yourself ( and don’t wait! Today’s Bandcamp Friday!) Other highlights on this fascinating LP include the half-motorik raga/half-bucolic folk rocker “Pond Scum Ocean,” the stunned positivity of “Rang Dizzy Inside” and the blissfully epic opening track, “Striking Down Your Big Premiere.” All of the songs here carry an evolved sense of lyrical maturity and instrumental prowess. Without their input, the record would surely be far less dynamic and compelling. They help to flush out the sound of the record and really nail the nearly avant-garde rhythms and atmosphere. ![]() Every song feels rich and deeply layered to the point that they sound alive.Īlso bringing their A-game to the proceedings are some of Walker’s longtime collaborators, like Ryan Jewell on drums/percussion and Bill MacKay on guitar and piano. He helps to give the record a sculpted feel. This brings to mind a major strength of the album, which is the mixing and production work of Tortoise’s John McEntire, who also plays synths, keys and vibraphone on the record. ![]() Despite that, these three vastly different sections somehow flow into each other so naturally. It almost feels like this piece is really three separate tracks spliced together. Clattering and clanging percussion clash with rabid guitar outbursts and then the track finally finishes…by returning to the peaceful alternative rock vibe that it started out with. From here, the song segues into total anarchy. Then the guitars rev up their distortion and the chord progressions become more complicated, all before a bizarre solo emerges through the electric haze that sounds like a trombone hooked up to a talk box. Take for instance the wild “Axis Bent.” The song begins with a moderately conventional “indie rock” sound, with acoustic and electric guitars trading licks over a catchy beat as Walker delivers cryptic lyrics in a serene but blunt tone. You can never tell exactly where a song’s going to go. Ryley Walker has always had his finger on the pulse of new and enterprising musical directions, but on Course in Fable, he’s blazing a bold and entirely unique trail.Īvailable today from his own mini-label, Husky Pants Records, on vinyl and CD, this album finds Walker fusing all sorts of disparate things together, like jazzy break-neck time signature changes with pastoral string and folk rock sequences, and tight prog rhythms with viscerally chaotic noise.
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