Tell me some Jim O'Rourke I should buy

syrupcore · Post by **syrupcore** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 6:35 pm

I really like gastr del sol and loved the sam prekop solo record. like his work with stereolab and sonic youth. I currently own and enjoy Eureka.

What next? I'm not afraid of the avant-whatever action either.

thanks,
will

syrupcore · Post by **syrupcore** » Sun Nov 05, 2006 6:44 pm

jesus. his allmusic credits page is obscene.

lg · Post by lg » Mon Nov 06, 2006 10:03 am

yes, proof positive of the existence of alternative universes.

adhooker · Post by **adhooker** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 10:10 am

I personally think "Insignificance" is his best song oriented record.

"Bad Timing" is a great acoustic instrumental album with some nice noises on there.

Then there's all the noise stuff... if you're into that sort of thing "I'm Happy, and I'm Singing, and a 1, 2, 3, 4" is great... a live laptop set.

comfortstarr · Post by **comfortstarr** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 10:28 am

My vote goes to "Bad Timing." I also like the "Murray Street" Sonic Youth record which he's all over.

Finally, I really dig the record he did with Superchunk (he does pop good).

BeepBeep · Post by **BeepBeep** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 10:41 am

I love Gastr del sol, but am not a big fan of o'rourke's solo output, I think he does better in collaboration. In fact his record Insignificance is in my sell pile.

I would however recommend looking into the work of David Grubbs who was the heart and soul (not to mention primary songwriter) in Gastr del Sol. I personally love the Spectrum Between.

Wilkesin · Post by **Wilkesin** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 12:42 pm

+1 Insignificance

jayf · Post by **jayf** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 1:57 pm

Loose Fur, with O'Rourke and Jeff Tweedy, is pretty great. They have two albums--I haven't (yet) got into the more recent one as much as the first.

(Also, +1 for David Grubbs' Spectrum Between!)

Blort · Post by **Blort** » Mon Nov 06, 2006 6:39 pm

Repellentfeed is correct. Insignificance was a really exciting find for me when I first heard it. (I just haven't listened to it that much lately because I played the hell out of it.) It's got really great sonic textures and surprising juxtapositions, plus it totally rocks.

I too recommend Bad Timing--sort of a Fahey pastiche, with some really stunningly beautiful passages.

As a Gastr fan, you might already have this, but their Mirror Repair EP is really strong, especially the O'Rourke/Grubbs piano duet with those bursts of woodwinds and electronics.

O'Rourke really gives off the vibe of a real obsessive, someone who truly loves music and sound; all the details on his projects are, as they say, lovingly rendered. Too bad that he's dropped music to study film (if what I've read is true).

LifeGoesOff · Post by **LifeGoesOff** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 8:29 am

another vote over here for 'Insignificance'. That record is stunning. I would check out the new Beth Orton record he produced. His fingerprints are all over that record. And definitely check out the new Loose Fur.

I have such a hard-on for the way his records sound

BeepBeep · Post by **BeepBeep** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 11:55 am

Okay, I'm clearly in the minority on insignificance. I'll give it another listen today. Any specific tracks you would recommend?

syrupcore · Post by **syrupcore** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 7:22 pm

thanks everyone!

Will

pantone247 · Post by **pantone247** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 9:02 am

he had an EP around the time of Eureka called 'Halfway to a Threeway'

four amazing songs, in the vein of Eureka, with some serious creepy lyrics...

First Loose Fur record is amazing, second not so much, and like someone else here I would hhhiiiggghhhlllyyy recoend the Beth Orton record... amazing album, very simple, very clear, very open sounding. Great drums from Tim Barnes too.

To my ears nothing beats Eureka, that album really messed my head up, so good

Blort · Post by **Blort** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 7:08 pm

BeepBeep wrote:Okay, I'm clearly in the minority on insignificance. I'll give it another listen today. Any specific tracks you would recommend?

The opening track alone is worth the price of admission: that electric guitar boogie riffing! the fingerpicked acoustic breakdowns! those horns! that totally bitchin' two-drummer syncopation at the end!

Give it another try. It sounds amazing played really loud.

Zoltar · Post by **Zoltar** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:03 pm

Bad timing is a great recording for him as a musician/artist. I laughed for about half an hour after listening to it the first itme, it just seemed like the joke was on me the whole time.

the ending is like the credits where they re-introduce the cast without the masks, if that makes any sense.

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