David Grubbs - An Optimist Notes the Dusk

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 5 / 10 / 2008




David Grubbs - An Optimist Notes the Dusk


Label: Drag City
Format: CD
Melodically rich first album in four years from experimental New York-based musician David Grubbs, who has partially returned to form after a string of uninspiring albums



Review

Back in the late 1980's and early 1990's, David Grubbs was one half of the groundbreaking duo Squirrel Bait. After having gone solo, Grubb has released various calm in sound, but not very inspiring solo albums. Missing presumed dead, David Grubbs has filled in the void and created for himself some extra space with 'An Optimist Notes The Dusk' after an absence of nearly 4 years. Hard-fetched for some action, 'An Optimist Notes The Dusk', goes through melodic workouts without alas drawing much in the way of attention to itself. Grubbs's sketchy, though rich in terms of melody, compositions never were of any use to daytime radio selectors, but on 'Eyeglasses Of Kentucky' Grubbs is flirting with the John Fahey congregation and he quits the story-telling path only to deliver a majestic, nifty change of drone excellence. It is only then, when listening to those steamy and vapoury resonances, that the listener receives the full treatment. Those sparse moments of 'The Not-So Distant', in a most impressive style, bring back to mind the esoterics of the 'Eraserhead' film soundtrack.



Track Listing:-

1 Gethsemani Night
2 An Optimist Declines
3 Holy Fool Music
4 Storm Sequence
5 Eyeglasses Of Kentucky
6 The Not-So-Distant


Band Links:-

http://darwilliams.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DarWilliamsOf
https://twitter.com/darwilliamstour


Label Links:-

http://www.dragcity.com/
https://twitter.com/dragcityrecords
https://www.facebook.com/dragcityrecor



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Interviews


Interview (2013)
David Grubbs - Interview
Paul Waller talks to New York-based experimental musician and solo artist David Grubbs about his early years with influential hardcore bands Squirrel Bait and Bitch Magnet and his new album ‘The Plain Where the Palace Stood’

Live Reviews


Spitz, London, 12/6/2005
David Grubbs - Spitz, London, 12/6/2005
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Soundcloud




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