William Tyler
Impossible Truth

"American Primitivism", a definition of a musical movement, probably started by that mad genius John Fahey in the '50s, which decontextualized the fingerpicking blues techniques of the '30s, eliminating the voice and disregarding the typical song structure. Moreover, extending the durations and pushing on the cyclical repetitions of the riffs.

Expressed this way, it might seem like thorny and even a bit pretentious music, and fundamentally you shouldn't feel stupid if the effect of a record by Fahey or his contemporaries Sandy Bull and Robbie Basho draws more than one yawn out of you. It is music aimed at the brain rather than the heart, in some cases with the (non)structure of a stream of consciousness, and as such, it should be allowed to flow.

It's interesting to note how, roughly from the mid/late '90s, the genre enjoyed a simultaneous rediscovery by young enthusiasts of extreme fingerpicking (yes, because it's a genre where technical prowess is a fundamental principle of its existence), yet able to adapt the style to their personal taste. Let's mention a few: Jack Rose, who passed away at 38 in 2009, the most faithful to the Fahey canon, purely acoustic and ultra-technical. Or Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance), a multifaceted artist who has ranged from electroacoustic drone to folk psychedelia to heavy rock, always recalling his "primitive" style. Also Sir Richard Bishop, almost Beefheartian in his approach to fingerpicking. Deservedly joining them is William Tyler, already with Lambchop and Silver Jews, with his second solo album.

Completely instrumental, "Impossible Truth" encompasses various nuances of American Primitivism in its 8 tracks, starting with solo guitar musings ("A Portrait of Sarah", "We Can't Go Home Again"), and then expanding the sound spectrum with lap steel guitar, vibraphones, and bass, touching almost country territories ("Country of Illusion"), Velvet-like noise echoes ("Cadillac Desert"), an unusual speed fingerpicking with final banjo ("Hotel Catatonia"), to the distorted-noise crescendo of "World Set Free", where he even takes the liberty to incorporate drums and a crazy sax.

The best part is that, if all these descriptions might suggest a work that's hard to digest, the strength of the album lies precisely in how easily it's listened to, making it one of the most interesting releases of the year.