Music Review: Nels Cline - Coward

I first became aware of Nels Cline when I went to see Wilco a few summers ago as they were touring behind the Sky Blue Sky album. I'd already heard of Cline, mostly through reviews by some of my fellow Blogcritics who have this particular thing for oddball instrumental music and avant-jazz. But I wasn't aware he'd joined Wilco.

Having already seen Wilco a few times previous, you can imagine my shock at the insane, dissonant-sounding guitar I heard this time around, and how it added this amazing new dimension to Wilco's sound. Not long after, I picked up Wilco's Sky Blue Sky, and again marveled at how the guitar on songs like "Impossible Germany" seemed to complete this band like water filling an empty glass.

And that is how I was introduced to Nels Cline.

Nels Cline is one of the few guys out there who can truly live up to the title "guitarist's guitarist," and he proves it in spades on his new solo album Coward. This is not easy listening, nor is it intended to be. In fact, the music here is at times downright difficult sounding — unless you're a very accomplished musician that is. But it is also strangely captivating.

What Cline does on Coward is, in fact, about as far removed from the alt-country vibe of Jeff Tweedy's songs with Wilco as it gets. But it is no less impressive. This is an instrumental album where Cline veers from the sort of quiet, poetic acoustic guitar pieces that would be right at home on an album by say, Alex DeGrassi, to the experimental avant-jazz you might find on the ECM label, to outright noise.

Cline plays all the instruments, which in fairness are acoustic and (occasionally) electric guitars most of the time. But they also include all manner of noise and effect-making gadgets with names like zither things, kaossilator, and something called the quintronics drum buddy.

The result is a record that is not so much one to be casually listened to, as it is one to be almost studied. The music alternates between the soothing and the disturbing, but is nearly always interesting and at times downright intoxicating. Some songs, like "Prayer Wheel," have a quiet, almost meditative quality to them. Others, like "Thurston County," which was apparently inspired by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore seem to be more about exploring the edges of counterpoint and layered noise.

Article Author: Glen Boyd

You'll find Blogcritics music editor Glen Boyd sharing his Thoughtmares on his personal blog The Rockologist. Glen is also the author of Neil Young FAQ, published in May 2012 by Backbeat Books/Hal Leonard Publishing.

Visit Glen Boyd's author page — Glen Boyd's Blog