[Jandek] aquarius records review of WEDtTM

[Jonathan Lee]

http://aquariusrecords.org/cat/newest.html

Jandek's always been a difficult proposition, with his atonal
deconstructed blues, drastically out of tune guitars, howled and groaned
harrowingly emotional vocals, definitely an acquired taste. So to
imagine Jandek sounding EVEN MORE atonal, and off key, and detuned, and
damaged, seem pretty much impossible. But that's precisely what has
happened on What Else Does The Time Mean, the 46th Jandek, release and
the 3rd of 2006! We were worried that Jandek's mystery would have faded
with his recent shuffle into the spotlight (including several live
shows), but if anything it's only made him more of an enigma. A handful
of live performances and a higher profile than he's ever had in his
entire career have done absolutely nothing to change his totally unique,
totally fried haunting abstract blues stumble. If anything it's pushed
it even further OUT. This record is totally damaged and incredibly
difficult to listen to even by Jandek standards. The opening track is a
16 minute stoned stagger, a lugubrious drift through prickly steel
string strum, accopanied by a slurred, sleepy sounding, stream of
conciousness tone deaf mumble. The rest of the record follow essentially
the same sonic blueprint, each tune a tiny tragedy, each one a creepy
out of tune crawl through a drunken drowsy abstract blues-scape. This is
definitely dark and emotional stuff, practically dripping with pathos, a
seriously intense soul laid bare for sure, but the sound of pain and
anguish is meant to be sharp, and jagged, sounds that help the listener
feel that pain as if it was being inflicted upon them, which in a way it
kind of is. What Else Does The Time Mean is a gloriously and
fantastically uneasy listen, the sort of musical discomfort we've come
to expect, and anticipate from quite possibly the saddest sounding man
in the world! 
MPEG Stream: "My Own Way" 
MPEG Stream: "Walk Over"