Jim O’Rourke has spent most of the past decade adding cuddlier
credits to his résumé. For a guitarist and composer who
once traded entirely in the avant-garde world, there’s way more
accessibility in being a full-time member of Sonic Youth, producing
Beth Orton and Stereolab, and collaborating with Jeff Tweedy. Since
withdrawing from SY in 2005, O’Rourke has mostly delved back into his
obscurantist side, releasing recordings from his new base in Tokyo that
only his dedicated cult were aware of. O’Rourke’s first release of
newly recorded music for indie-rock fans since 2001’s
Insignificance might seem like a return to the cuddly.
This is only partially true, since it isn’t quite as poppy as
Insignificance or 1999’s Eureka. Think of the one-track
The Visitor as the proper follow-up to 1997’s Bad Timing, echoing that record’s approach in every way. Both pieces find the
middle ground between O’Rourke’s avant-garde side and his pop work,
toning down the electronics in favor of a warm, easy approach that ebbs
and flows throughout several movements. O’Rourke seamlessly blends a
multitude of instruments around an acoustic guitar and piano base,
allowing plenty of room for several interesting hooks. The
Visitor is considerably less demanding than O’Rourke’s drone-fest
recordings, although the incorporation of jazzy time signatures and
squalls of organized noise can be challenging. But its warmth wins out
over cold experimentalism, revealing The Visitor to be far more
man than machine. — Drabick
This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2009.
