There are proggy tendencies in evidence in various places here, not least in the crazily bouncing guitar lines of Pond Scum Ocean, which takes three minutes to introduce the vocals, and the wild finale of Axis Bent, which sounds like the studio being dismantled while the song is still going. Those with an appetite for something stranger might consider his two collaborative albums with the free-jazz drummer Charles Rumback, or Deep Fried Grandeur, released just last month, which consists of two 18-minute improvisations recorded live with Japanese psychedelic rock band Kikagaku Moyo.Ĭourse in Fable, in contrast, works as a fine entry point to the catalogue of a man with so many ideas that he’s still threatening to make a “double LP prog epic”. His is Illinois singer-songwriter Ryley Walker’s fifth solo album in seven years but there’s much more to explore than that. New West End Company BRANDPOST | PAID CONTENT.Tej Kohli & Ruit Foundation BRANDPOST | PAID CONTENT.More writing by Irina can be found at her author’s archive. In 2021 alone, he released three albums and an. Pre-order Course In Fable now from Bandcamp.Īll words by Irina Shtreis. Ryley Walker, whose music ranges from seventies-inflected folk to experimental jazz, is certainly prolific. And, perhaps, more than others, it manifests the artist’s reconciliation with himself. Nevertheless, as much as other works by him, this album is driven by an exuberant love for music. Course in Fable might surprise as a record where sophisticated texture and pop elements co-exist. The discography of Ryley Walker presents this artist in constant motion. Intensified by rollicking polyrhythmic patterns, this composition is a twisted journey along the trail of a strenuous difficulty. The patchwork-y soundscape is clad in elevating modulations and arpeggios.
RYLEY WALKER NEW ALBUM FREE
The longest number, exceeding eight minutes, fluid A Lenticular Slap finds the balance free jazz improvisation and folk song. Swinging from major to minor, the musical palette combines intricate brushstrokes a-la pointillist art. A passage, where guitar and keyboard join forces in rollicking arpeggio, presents to the mind rays of the sun as if they suddenly pierced the gloomy texture of a nimbostratus. The multipart composition absorbs the listener into a sonically elaborate realm.
Musically, Striking Down Your Big Premiere sets the course for the prog-inclined journey. The opening track, Striking Down Your Big Premiere, starts with a baffling metaphor: “If I could wear a capsule / Of all the world’s hairline fracture / The biggest wig in the show.” Yet, the tone is light-hearted, the mood is vibrant and tranquil at once. With bizarrely enigmatic lyrics, the musician often throws the gauntlet to his listener to go down the rabbit hole of thoughts. The droll and poetic nature of Walker’s songs is perfectly delivered in this setting.
The unity that brings to mind Tim Buckley’s Happy Sad and, expectedly, overtones of Tortoise, particularly on Axis Bent. The transparency that makes all parts sonically distinct, keyboards that with the light touch of McEntire add another dimension to Walker’s guitar. McEntire’s producer credit summons up a certain archetype of sound which is indeed present on the record. Questioning himself on the second track Rang Dizzy, Walker seemingly provides the album as an answer: “I sat in the lawn wondering “should I dose again”? / Or just break into song with Illinois flowers.” Recorded with a fellow Chicago-born producer John McEntire, Course in Fable feels like a peaceful homecoming for the artist, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. Entitled Looking/Seeing, it seems to speak of finding order in chaos – one of the underlying themes of the record. It features an abstract painting by American artist Jenny Nelson – the work which is emblematic of the record’s beguiling complexity. The sound texture of Course In Fable feels as transparent and multilayered as the pastel-coloured cover. Still, the comparison with fine art is congruous.
Following two collaborative albums – a psych-folk ‘diptych’ Deep Fried Grandeur and atmospheric watercolour-ish Little Common Twist, this work feels more elaborate and less impressionistic. With a hint of moral storytelling in its title, Course In Fable is the first LP in three years, featuring Walker’s original material.
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