[Jandek] Shadow of Leaves

[Seth Tisue]

...is out.  Cover art and song names are up at
http://tisue.net/jandek/discog.html#0774 .  Click cover for larger
version.

Cover: Jandek posed at the edge of a forest, in a not very outdoorsy
all-black Johnny Cash outfit that's too big for him. For a moment you
think the head is pasted on. He's smiling, squinting into the sun a
little, hands in his pockets. The picture-taker puts the camera away and
they continue strolling together through the trees.

Jandek plays bass again, claims to "no longer exist," sings about
drinking "mechanically produced beverages," and announces plans to
"think about breathing." Recently he took a walk. The music seems
improvised but is satisfyingly varied and tracks the varying moods of
the vocals closely. During the long piece, moments of abjection or
desperation occur, but they pass; mostly the voice we hear is lucid.
He's leveling with us. When he sings "I won't drive my car for the rest
of the day," it's a fact. The most harrowing moment comes during the
last track, a love song that turns threatening: "please take my
bait... I want to eat you up... you'll never get away, you won't want
to... you don't have a life, you live in me." The music plunges down to
the bottom of the bass's range, but by the last line, the point of view
has pulled back again to encompass "the grand scheme of things."

==
Seth Tisue - seth at tisue.net - http://tisue.net
"It is better to stay indoors and not mess around
with useless experiences." - Rudolph Wurlitzer, _Nog_