Alexander Tucker: Dorwytch (2011)

GLENN ASTARITA,

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

Longtime contributor to AAJ and Downbeat, Jazz Review, EjazzNews, Radio DirectX.

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Published: May 2, 2011

Track review of "Matter"

Adventurous British multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Alexander Tucker celebrates his freshman release for Chicago-based Thrill Jockey Records. Tucker is a sound-sculptor, known for his collaborations with like-minded musicians who skirt the edge of rock, minimalism, electronica and other mediums, where fundamentals transcend into embryonic vehicles. Here, Tucker brandishes a chamber-tinted, anti-pop program, resplendent with memorable material and faint nods to Brian Eno Brian Eno
, largely from a vocal perspective amid background electronics treatments.

Indeed, this is a multifaceted album, comprising fourteen pieces. Tucker frames a folk-rock motif on a rhythmic vibe on "Matter." The artist communicates an unlikely aggregation of whimsy, atop Daniel O'Sullivan's lower register arco lines. And with Tucker's use of a glockenspiel to caress the primary melody, he injects an air of innocence into the big picture. It's an uncanny but irrefutably entertaining composition. Tucker's straightforward and deterministic vocalizing is shrewdly balanced by his deft acoustic guitar work. Hence, the artist effectively uses depth, space, and darkness as additional instruments throughout this entrancing program.

Personnel: Alexander Tucker: guitars, bass, cello, synths, piano, glockenspiel, electronics, vocals, field recordings, cat; Daniel O Sullivan: viola.

Record Label: Thrill Jockey