[Today: A light, swinging breeze from the shores of Lake Michigan...]
Like a cool breeze on a hot summer day, Sam Prekop’s 1999 solo debut swings with an effortless, relaxed vibe that calls to mind the better end of the Bossa Nova movement. Light and airy, but never trite, this album is the result of the efforts of a number of musicians from Chicago’s ‘Post Rock’ scene of the 1990′s. Prekop is joined here by fellow Sea & Cake alum Archer Prewitt and Chicago alterna-svengali Jim O’Rourke, among many others. With subtle layers of guitars, strings, tambourine, and organ, this music simultaneously touches on the best elements of bossa nova, fusion jazz, and french pop.
Many of these songs build up one layer at a time, producing a hypnotic effect that allows the rhythms to sneak up on you. Even when Prekop’s vocals are up front in the mix, it’s hard to tell what he’s singing about – his voice is just one piece of a larger musical puzzle. Indeed, Prekop is a trained painter who accidentally backed into a career in music. One of his landscapes adorns the album cover, and its pleasing colorful simplicity matches the moods and textures of his songs.
The absolute standout moment here is ‘Faces And People’, a seven-minute slab of percolating grooves that showcases Rob Mazurek’s otherworldly cornet playing. Channeling the spirit of fusion-era Miles Davis, Mazurek uses his horn to accent a musical dreamscape, dropping funky, stabbing notes that drift away like they’re floating underwater. It’s music that wouldn’t sound out of place on Davis’ fusion landmark In A Silent Way, but it still fits perfectly within the cool vibe that permeates the rest of this underappreciated confection of an album.
Listen: Faces And People
Tags: Archer Prewitt, debut album, Jim O'Rourke, Sam Prekop
3 March 2008 at 8:52 am |
guess what i’ll be downloading from emusic on march 6, the day my next allotment of 40 arrives in my emailbox? thank you, musical sherpa supreme.