Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Nels Cline - Coward [Cryptogramaphone, 2009]


Coward, the first solo album from Rolling Stone Magazine’s “Guitar God” Nels Cline, is the culmination of three decades of guitar virtuosity spanning Cline’s work with Wilco, to his more adventurous original compositions and free improvisations with the Nels Cline Singers. Here Cline demonstrates his proficiencies in the fields of finger picking (ala John Fahey), improvisation, and composition.

The moods exhibited on this recording run the gamut from melancholia to exuberant joie de vivre, from meditative to “rootsy” to other worldly. Where some solo albums give the impression of eaves dropping, Nels Cline grants the listener exclusive access to the inner depths of his creativity via his guitar and various electronics. Coward opens with the horticultural themed drone piece entitled “Epiphyllum”. The mysterious soundscape of the opener segues beautifully into the arpeggiated acoustic guitar of “Prayer Wheel”, perhaps named with respect to its repetitious qualities, as in the Tibetan Buddhist practice of spinning prayer wheels adorned with Tantric mantras. “Prayer Wheel” as is the rest of Coward is crafted to perfection with profound devotional undertones.

Cowardice has no place in this recording.

Charles Ballas

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Listened to this release a few weeks ago. Upon first listen it seems not complete, but without question enjoyable. On second run total enjoyment. The free sound and X-genre attack lends this disk a spot in the evolving top ten for 2009. Any nite Cline is in town deserves the pain of a post midnite venture to the urban club for an in person performance followed by the 7 am roll call for work duties. Sleep or drink... what will it be?