On Fillmore – Extended Vacation

Extended Vacation is the latest outing for On Fillmore, the occasional project of percussionist Glenn Kotchke and Darin Gray. The two first met when they came together to record on mutual friend JIm O’Rourke’s Eureka album, O’Rourke dubbing their collaboration “The rhythm section’s revenge”. The two have continued to play with O’Rourke: Kotchke in Loose Fur, and Gray in the improv trio Osorezan, which is rounded out by Chris Corsano. It is this more experimental side that is in evidence on Extended Vacation. Those who only know Kotchke from his work with Wilco may be somewhat surprised to learn that, for the most part here he stays away from the drum kit. But then, there aren’t many drummers in indie rock bands who have been commissioned to compose pieces for the likes of the Kronos Quartet or colaborated with minimalist pioneer Steve Reich. Here the majority of Kotchke’s work comes on the vibraphone, which, in counterpoint to Gray’s upright bass lines, acts as a centrepeice for much of the record.

The front cover of Extended Vacation gives a fair insight in to what is to unfold once the play button is pressed- a blurred, distorted and slightly eerie image of a distant tropical shore. The 7 pieces here have a woozy and disorientating feel, as they meander along working with drones and repetitions. Slight melodies weave in and out throughout the album, accompanied in parts by noise squalls, percusive scrapes and faux animal calls from the throat of DeDe Sampaio. At its best the music here draws the listener in to its own sinister, cinematic world. Unfortunately On Fillmore reveal a tendancy to overplay their hand: “Daydreaming So Early” in particular suffers from the ever increasing overlaying of animal noises and found sounds, which by the end becomes more of a distraction rather than an integral part of the music. Too often the found sounds, placed high in the mix, undo rather than enhance the subtlety of the playing that is in evidence elsewhere on the record, which is a pity given that the times when Kotchke and Gray allow their instruments space to work together away from the oppressive hum provide some of the albums most interesting and occasionally moving passages.

Buy the album on Amazon | [itunes link=“http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/complications/id336662525?uo=4” title=“On_Fillmore-Extended_Vacation_(Album)” text=“iTunes”]