Mike Fellows – Limited Storyline Guest (Vertical Form, 2004)
Mike Fellows did some time in a band of note, The Silver Jews (Velvet Underground doing country without an expressive lead guitar). So that little history lesson delving into this mans’ career should fully explain his latest release. Of course not. Limited Storyline Guest is full of laid-back guitar twang, finger picking style, and electronic production. The merging of two disparate styles, Americana and Electronica, pushes his music as a whole forward. And moreover, it works. Fellow’s singing is kinda shaky, but in the context of thirty-somethings doin’ country stylings for the hip set, it becomes part of the model. Most of this recording is pretty restrained, but it seems that way because of the minimal drumming, making this whole recording seem light and airy, yet complete. The one frustrating moment on the album comes in the form of “AM”, an instrumental with good intentions that quickly becomes an exercise in self gratification. Experimental attempts succeed or fail, there’s seemingly no middle ground. And “AM” falls short by about a mile and a half. The off-kilter piano simplicity wouldn’t come off as bothersome if not for the lack of rhythm: though intentional, not acceptable. “Way I Love,” replete with acoustic bass accompanying the fingerpicked guitar, the Beefheartian damaged vocals and harmonica further layers the track with Dadaism. The guitar line of “Sunshores” flows up and falls down into itself as the main figure repeats for a good minute before Fellows, amidst electro production proclaims, “I don’t know what the fuck to do with that”.
Tracklisting:
01 – Way I Love
02 – All Wang Heavily
03 – Zig Zag Zig
04 – Sunshores
05 – Chinese Houses
06 – Our Crank
07 – AM
08 – Commander of Space
09 – Nothing Sign
