…a fascinating insight into the encyclopaedic mind of a particularly creative and accomplished musician.
Well, this odd and intriguing twenty-nine-song, hour-long record by British-born, Chicago-based guitarist and producer James Elkington is a very fresh way to start the new year. After dropping his 2017 full band effort Ever-Roving Eye, James planned to make an album of solo guitar instrumentals, an idea that eventually ran to ground. Instead, James sought freshness in recording an improvised tune each day, eschewing the parameters of solo guitar music for the looser sound of Me Neither.
James has had the pleasure of working with a diverse range of musicians as producer and collaborator, from Jeff Tweedy to Jake Xerxes Fussell, and his expert touch has enriched their sound, a fact unsurprising when listening to the range of musical approaches explored across this multi-layered, twisty set. With this many ideas and nearly thirty songs, it’s easy to lose yourself in the album and find different nuggets of pleasure from each miniature with each listen.
A song like Section 2 is particularly interesting; a guitar-less track built from industrial-sounding percussion and sharp, eerie shards of synth, this spacious little number introduces a great midsection. Double Orchid follows, a tightly played piece of music containing a meandering, high guitar line behind a repeated pattern. With brushes of reverb and dreamy bass, this one is like a walk in an enchanted forest.
Further on, the title track is a lovely, patiently played guitar piece, again embellished with woozy backdrops that swerve into more dramatic brush strokes as the song develops. Even better is Part the Thin Painter from his Work, a more intimate sounding piece, complete with wooden knocking percussion and chair creaks. The slow acoustic guitar refrain evokes the painter’s concentration, while more dynamic playing here and there creates spots of colour. It’s a quietly focused piece of restraint and beauty. There are talking points throughout Me Neither, with each small piece of music having its own character. It’s a major plus of recording in an improvised fashion each day, with the technique allowing the mood and emotion of each mini-session into the sound. It’s also a fascinating insight into the encyclopaedic mind of a particularly creative and accomplished musician.