Town and Country: C'mon
Thrill Jockey THRILL114
http://www.thrilljockey.com/
Lovely, lovely stuff. Not exactly a surprise based on their earlier outings,
but C'mon is a very nice evolution in the minimalist studies of Chicago's
Town and Country. Imagine a folk band playing the work of Morton Feldman after
a month of listening only to Jimmy Giuffre's trio work with Paul Bley and
Steve Swallow, and....
Er, sorry, have I lost a few of you? T&C are thoroughly postmodern, and
not 'rock' in the slightest. But their particular take on sixties classical
minimalism is super fresh (and also not 'classical'.) The instrumental lineup
sets the pastoral tone: harmonium, celeste, hand chimes, bass clarinet, cornet,
acoustic bass, and acoustic guitar. Slow, very slow drones repeat, phase,
and fade against each other, building up a bit of tension not so unlike early
Nyman or Bryars, but are then relieved by a gentle guitar turn or clarinet
melody. The songs themselves are quite simple - usually on one or two motifs
that absent-mindedly wander or cut themselves short after a few minutes, which
charms rather than bothers, as pieces actually seem complete. I think it is
the ease and clarity of the compact expression that reminds me the most of
the Giuffre trios, as the musicians seem to be listening as much as playing,
a betrayal of sorts of the players' improv roots. In truth, I hadn't been
listening to this sort of stuff for a few years, but have to admit that C'mon
has been a welcome addition to my late summer afternoons.
-John Southern