Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Alexander Tucker - Custom Made

Experiencing Custom Made, this little gem of a four song ep, as a burnt CD on a laptop likely isn’t the prescribed listening situation. Released in April by ATP in a, yes, “custom made” double 7” format it showcases a somewhat pared-down version of “Veins to the Sky” which later shows up on Tucker’s third full length release, Portal, as well as a new version of “Phantom Rings” from his debut. A cover of Fursaxa’s “Rodeo in the Sky” draws upon the trademark otherness of his sound that is both seemingly of ancient origin yet chronologically unbound. His self-described blues closer, “Florence Blue,” is a cochleate whirl of strings over a thumbed pulse that is equal parts Junior Kimbrough and Arthur Russell. Tucker’s sound maintains a strange familiarity despite it’s slippery signifiers, perhaps due to a tapping of something elemental outside of traditions. Could explain how he somehow fits on bills and in groups with Fuck Buttons, Sunn O)))’s Stephen O’Malley and Owen Pallett without seeming out of place.

(ATP/R)

No comments: