Pullman
to Bring Avant-Folk
by John MacDonald
In
sharp contrast to the feedback-fed guitar attack of the The Mooney
Suzuki and The Datsuns, the two acts who split the bill at the last
major Sco event last month, mellow acoustic connoisseurs Pullman
are set to release quite a different vibe on Oberlin April 11. Along
with the opening act, avant-folksters Califone, Pullman is sure
to set the perfect mood for the bleary-eyed dawn of an Ohio spring.
Pullmans line-up reads like a whos who of Chicago indie
rock Bundy K. Brown, formerly of Tortoise, now of Directions
in Music, Chris Brokaw of Come, Curtis Harvey of Rex fame, and Douglas
McCombs, Tortoises current bassist.
Though their music is as impressive as the roster would suggest,
their tunes dont fall into the post-rock/jazz/techno realm
that bands like Tortoise and Isotope 217 helped to create. These
guys dont play with beat boxes and synthesizers, theyre
an acoustic quartet that use acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins,
banjos and whatever else is on hand. Add the occasional slide guitar,
and some tasteful bass and percussion to the mix and youve
got Chicago avant-folk a unique, yet quite traditional, instrumental
music.
After 1998s well-received Turnstyles and Junkpiles, the bands
first disc, Pullman released Viewfinder last September. On this
album, like their debut, one rarely hears evidence of the post-production
wizardry that made Tortoise famous. Instead the band calls upon
the acoustic legacies of Nick Drake, John Fahey and even Jimmy Page
to create soundscapes as mellow and intimate as warm summer rain.
Though Felucca comes close to Tortoises rhythmic
experimentation and distinctive melodies, the rest of the tunes
carve a niche all their own. The majority of these build themselves
off of effortlessly plucked acoustic guitars that seamlessly meld
with lazy bass and slide guitar before fading away again as naturally
as they had come. The opener Some Grain with New Wood,
along with Forty Fingers and Wire and One Good
Shoe, are the best places to look for this vibe.
The true standout of the record, though, has got to be Isla
Mujeres with its languid Spanish guitar, plaintive mandolin
and accordion, and South American atmospherics. The mood is so transportive,
you can almost feel the suntan working its way across your shoulders.
In support is another Chicago indie standout, Califone. Composed
entirely of former members of Red Red Meat, Califone released their
debut LP Roomsound last year to positive reviews. Their first two
EPs, 1998s self-titled release on Flydaddy/Perishable and
2000s self-titled recording on Road Cone, were combined this
year on the compilation Sometimes Good Weather Follows Bad People.
Tim Rutili, Brain Deck and Ben Massarella revel in beat-heavy acoustic
tunes saturated with quirky studio experimentation, and guest appearances,
as on Roomsound, of members of Tortoise, Eleventh Dream Day and
Fruitbats.
Their musics charming invention and undeniable weirdness will
juxtapose nicely next Thursday with the bucolic compositions of
Pullman, which ground them firmly in the American folk music of
the past half-century. One can think of few better ways to welcome
back spring to Oberlins winter-weary campus than to finish
out the school year with Pullmans and Califones soothing
acoustic stylings. The Sco will host this duo next Thursday,
April 11, and all looking to get a taste of the music that has come
to define the indie capital of Chicago need look no further then
their own student union.
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