David Grubbs - Rickets & Scurvy
(Drag City)
Rickets & Scurvy is executed with a precision typical of David Grubbs' work. Guitars are played with almost clinical accuracy, while his cerebral lyrics are delivered with utmost precision. Grubbs' pontificating has allowed him to carve out a distinctive musical vision, with a focus sorely missed in the majority of contemporary independent music. But while Grubbs' precision may be one of his biggest attributes, it may lead some to accuse him of a lack of feeling or emotion. His work with Gastr del Sol, for example, and particularly the dark masterpiece Upgrade and Afterlife, was cold and often unforgiving. Well Rickets & Scurvy has plenty of feeling, something that even Grubbs' deadpan delivery can't spoil.
Grubbs' past work has often demanded considerable time and thought to digest. For Rickets & Scurvy one only needs to sit back, listen, and, at times, sing along. On "Aloft," Grubbs sounds downright sentimental when singing, "How sharp those steeples, and how fucked those peoples." On Gastr del Sol records and other solo releases, Grubbs' voice battled with angular guitar and piano lines, leaving the listener appropriately anxious. Rickets & Scurvy, by contrast, is as comforting as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day. (OK, that was a really bad analogy, but hey, this is my first review for fakejazz.com.) Against all odds, Grubbs is able to pull off his intensely poetic prose with full conviction. Seemingly difficult lines such as "The landscape did a swimmer/A momentary shimmer/Monitory of the nearest by and by," from "The Nearer By And By," are easily worked into the flow of the songs.
Guitars and electronics provide the instrumental focal point for Rickets & Scurvy. Buzzing and wah-wahing guitar lines played by French guitarist Noel Akchote are a highlight, nicely accompanying Grubbs' carefully plucked notes. Drew Daniel and M.C. Schmidt of Matmos contribute two instrumental electronic compositions, "Precipice" and "Crevasse," as well as snippets of other tracks. Old standby John McEntire fills in on drums, and while the drums are often low in the mix, McEntire's light sputtering beats and shakers are a perfect fit for Grubbs' playing.
Rickets & Scurvy, for all its glory, finds Grubbs occasionally veering from his objective to create a distinctive musical voice. His new album suffers from a lack of diversity, and apart from the two Matmos tracks, some of the songs seem to bleed into each other. But hey, ten songs of polished prose, intentionally misplaced musicality, and accurate art could leave anyone satisfied by the latest lecture from Professor Grubbs.
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