records

David Grubbs - Rickets And Scurvy [lp] Fat Cat A veteran of so many good bands (Gastr Del Sol, Bastro (with most of Tortoise), Bitch Magnet the list goes on) that frankly it pisses me off, David Grubbs' prowess as a song writer, guitarist, avant garde chap and all round nice guy is only a notch below that of his former partner in crime and now Sonic Youth member Jim O'Rourke... and one can't help but feel that had Thurston and Kim's favour fallen on DG instead, that the situations would be reversed. This is an album to be treasured every bit as much as O'Rourke’s ‘Insignificance’ or even the last SY album, the gentle folk inflected clean guitars of ‘Don't Think’ and understated vocals from Grubbs are just as effective as O'Rourke's southern rock and beach boys pastiches. The acoustic guitars on ‘A Dream To Help Me Sleep’ are achingly pretty and the chorus ‘Man The Submarines’ may not mean much but by lord it sounds right. The glitchy electronics on ‘Precipice’ and ‘Crevasse’ are perhaps the only blind spot for me as they sit somewhat jarringly with the feel of the other tunes, but it's a minor quibble. This album's been out for a long while but if you spot it I recommend it for a quiet evenings listen. Ian Unpeeled (the zine that covers the John Peel shows, info from shane@unpeeled.freeserve.co.uk)

Fat Cat