Fanfare

Description

On the positively baked Gentle Spirit, from 2011, Jonathan Wilson offered a stellar update of the early-70s Laurel Canyon sound. For Fanfare, he is obviously inspired by the production techniques of that decade on both sides of the Atlantic. This is one of the most delightfully ornamented recordings to come down the pipe in quite some time. Its sound is so warm and inviting, it almost proves a distraction from the songs. Wilsons guest list is impressive: David Crosby, Graham Nash, Jackson Browne, Benmont Tench, Mike Campbell, and others contribute. But mostly its Wilson: guitars, piano, drums, bass, mellotron, bells, synths, B-3, vocals, and more. Deciphering the musical trail on Fanfare is a hell of a lot of fun. The influence of Crosbys If I Could Only remember My Name, CSNs self-titled debut, CSNYs Deja Vu, Stephen Stills first Manassas record, Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon, ELOs Eldorado, Steely Dans Cant Buy a Thrill, and numerous other recordings saturate this albums pores. Yet, if Wilson werent capable of doing something new with his sources, the familiar would relegate it to the closet of nostalgia. As a songwriter, his ability to craft diverse, instantly attractive melodies, bridges, and hooks allows his songs to sit alongside those that inform them. Check the easy, driving country rock on Love to Love, the breezy folk-rock in Moses Pain heightened by Campbells guiding slide guitar, and Brownes and Nashs backing vocals that make it soar, and the shifting, crunchy rock slowness in Illumination for examples. Wilsons ability as a producer is akin to Todd Rundgrens: he can combine, arrange, and orchestrate his influences to create something new from the instantly familiar. This is evident in the opening title track where Baroque pop orchestrations (Eldorado) are wedded to Dark Side of the Moons spacey nocturnal tensions dig James Kings wailing saxophone solo. Dear Friend and Her Hair Is Growing Long are sequentially suite-like in their collective nods to Woodstock, CSNs self-titled debut, and the latters acknowledgement of the Beatles Golden Slumbers in the guitar break. Wilsons lyric phrasing illustrates vivid images, all framed by inviting, self-styled textural nuances. Crosbys and Nashs vocal appearances on Cecil Taylor fit so seamlessly with his, the twilight, darkly lit melody almost breaks its frame. Illumination channels the pace and cadence of Neil Youngs Crazy Horse, but its lushness expands the plodding groove. Tenchs piano on the instrumental Lovestrong matches Wilsons blistering David Gilmour-esque guitar break. Fanfare travels easily between intimacy and more psychedelic-influenced euphoria because Wilsons songwriting remains his ace in the hole. For all its laid-back deference to his production, its tight, clever, and artfully constructed. Together they make for an album that will likely endure the test of time. ~ Thom Jurek