David Grubbs
The Spectrum Between

Two years after the release of the masterpiece The Thicket, our composition professor from the Chicago Art Institute, after two interesting releases, one of minimal meditation (Apertura) and the other of baroque folk (Coxcomb), brings together another 9 tracks that roughly follow the same pattern as the 9 of his second solo work and the pastoral frescoes of his latest Coxcomb (17-minute suite): we're talking about very "alternative" folk.

In David Grubbs' music, the "classic folk" elements are the approach and the instruments (still "eclectic", with trumpet, accordion, violin, banjo following) but the influences range from prog, to pop, to chamber music, to raga, to post-rock (of which Grubbs himself is a renowned representative) intersecting in an artistic and creative folk where each piece is a watercolor on its own: the structure, the choice of instruments and the fantasies are always different for each "miniature".

If in The Thicket this artistic component was predominant, sometimes exaggerated, in The Spectrum Between it is diluted in larger quantities of traditional folk. The mere fact that three tracks have the exact same guitar pattern ("Whirlweek," "Gloriette," and "Show Me Who To Love") reveals the dulling of a brilliant composition. There is a greater recurrence of "canonical" stylistic models like that of the folk-singer and a greater recourse to typical pop dynamics, lowering that element of surprise that was present every second of the '98 album. Another significant element of differentiation from The Thicket is the atmosphere, much more relaxed and reassuring here.

But leaving aside these technical considerations which, by highlighting the differences between an excellent album and a masterpiece, end up overshadowing even the excellent album too much, we have in front of us an excellent blend of traditional folk combined with "experimental" elements of mainly post-rock roots (see Gastr del Sol, Grubbs' own group) that, being more inclined towards the folk matrix, results in being more communicative, expressing more immediate emotions. The melodies, presented with the sonic clarity and crystalline techniques typical of Grubbs, and the scenarios are always evocative and seem to evoke the melancholy of an ancient and unspoiled time. Here, David Grubbs sheds his cloak of a visionary alchemist, thinks less but meditates more, and in a sense is also freer.

Ultimately, among guitar-voice compositions where they turn more towards humble classic folk ("Eagull and Seagull," "Two Shades of Green") where more to pop ("Whirlweek," "Show Me Who To Love"), folk-rock band excursions ("Gloriette"), meditative suggestions with chamber ensemble ("Stanwell Perpetual"), more caustic and experimental passages ("Preface"), there is something for everyone. This variety is always firmly held together by an indissoluble art-folk concept, by a strong melancholic vein permeating every track, and most importantly by Grubbs' unique style.