Sometimes A Cold Rain Can Push Down On The Back Of Your Head
Doug McCombs made clear his mind-stretching abilities on bass long ago with Tortoise and Eleventh Dream Day. But as Brokeback, McCombs goes way further than on his other projects. The gig is this: McCombs plays searching ... more »bass, often in slow, minor-key episodes, on occasion joined by a cast of fellow Chicagoans like John Herndon on drums, John McEntire on keyboards, Josh Abrams and Noel Kuppersmith on acoustic basses, and Rob Mazurek on cornet. The music plays like an imaginary soundtrack, a soundscape that fits somewhere on a vast map. Luckily, McCombs hasn't lost his opportunity to title his session with a geographic reference. Heard as Field Recordings from the Cook County Water Table, this sounds neither like a field recording nor an image of Cook County. It's spacious and warm and expansive. --Andrew Bartlett« less
Doug McCombs made clear his mind-stretching abilities on bass long ago with Tortoise and Eleventh Dream Day. But as Brokeback, McCombs goes way further than on his other projects. The gig is this: McCombs plays searching bass, often in slow, minor-key episodes, on occasion joined by a cast of fellow Chicagoans like John Herndon on drums, John McEntire on keyboards, Josh Abrams and Noel Kuppersmith on acoustic basses, and Rob Mazurek on cornet. The music plays like an imaginary soundtrack, a soundscape that fits somewhere on a vast map. Luckily, McCombs hasn't lost his opportunity to title his session with a geographic reference. Heard as Field Recordings from the Cook County Water Table, this sounds neither like a field recording nor an image of Cook County. It's spacious and warm and expansive. --Andrew Bartlett
CD Reviews
Brokeback - Field recordings...
Felipe Cussen A. | Santiago, Chile | 11/29/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"En este disco Douglas McCombs se basa principalmente en su bajo de 6 cuerdas para crear una serie de paisajes y ambientes muy aéreos y espaciosos, mediante un buen trabajo técnico, con acordes, melodías, etc. Sin tener muy claro, al menos en apariencia, a dónde quiere dirigirse, la mayoría de los temas (especialmente en los que está solo) parecen una constante búsqueda, muy improvisada, sin tempo determinado, donde muchas veces cruzan ruidos ambientale, como trenes. Pero también hay canciones con más instrumentos, en extrañas combinaciones (corneta, shakers, voz, batería, varios contrabajos, órgano, etc.), donde, por el contrario, prima un ritmo más fijo y activo, con desarrollo más claro. El carácter general del disco transita, entonces, entre lo contenido (más cool), lo meditativo, lo afirmativo y lo melancólico."
This is good. try it.
THOMAS V GAGNON | Boston, MA | 12/07/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Spacious, unhurried, evocative, atmospheric, at times mysterious. Relaxing and engaging. Great bass guitar work. Very listenable, gently melodic yet not always predictably so. The kind of fascinating, easy to take album you would want if only there was some way for you to hear it. Take the leap of faith. This is a wonderful CD that won't disappoint you. Listen to it with the lights out and let your mind wander."
Green field
THOMAS V GAGNON | 11/13/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This cd is hopeful and free. It is the only thing I can listen to that literally puts me in the mind of an expansive green field and perhaps a tree in the distance. The imagination of the musicians and the careful,specific direction of where the music takes you is pure genious. Influences range, but are not limited to, sound tracks from Clint Eastwood's spagetti westerns, Brazilian samba and Eno's, Music for Airports. Magical, intimate and trusting. The best part of this work is that it returns to a theme and develops ideas throughout, something rare in today's musicians who may enjoy less staying power (read virility). How sexy is that?"
It ain't broke, find the love
THOMAS V GAGNON | 06/29/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's a melodic, melliflous album, that due to the kind recommendation of a good friend, even at this late date, I am loathe to take it too far away from my cd changer. It has everything: melody, sampling, nature, faux-nature, sunset and sunrise as it attributes. Yum!"
Rustic ramblings
Z. D. Holton | new zealand | 10/23/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you like Miles Davis' Filles de Kilimanjaro and the second side of Brian Eno's Before and After Science, they pretty much collide in this recording by Brokeback. Perfect accompaniement for reading a book in the warm sun on a summer's afternoon.Languid, but crystalline."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1