Album: Insignificance
Artist: Jim O'Rourke
Born: Chicago, Illinois
Released: November 2001
Genre: Indie Rock
As well as being an ex-member of Sonic Youth, Jim O'Rourke has also helped to produce albums by Joanna Newsom, Wilco, Smog and Beth Orton, but his solo work lacks the same high profile. His series of albums for Drag City, especially the run from Bad Timing (1997) to Insignificance (2001), is a spectacular achievement and one that gets few plaudits. As I see it, part of the reason for his marginal status in the pop pantheon is that his music doesn't fit in any easy boxes -- his avant-garde compositions and work on film scores means he's not an easy guy to pin down. O'Rourke started out as an experimental musician in Chicago before joining Sonic Youth as guitarist and keyboardist in 1999, helping to revitalise the group with the release of Murray Street in 2002. At the same time, he was working on his solo music, and all his Drag City releases reveal his love of film, especially the cinema of Nicholas Roeg (Bad Timing, Eureka and Insignificance were all films of his in the 80s). O'Rourke has built a reputation as a composer of film scores, working on major releases such as The School Of Rock (2003), as well as more experimental movies by the likes of Harmony Korine and Werner Herzog. In fact, he worked on one of my favourite Herzog films of recent years, Grizzly Man (2005), combining with Richard Thompson to create the atmospheric soundtrack (see clip below).
For Insignificance, as well as previous Drag City albums, O'Rourke toned down his experimental leanings to create slices of pop perfection, and there's not one bad song on the record for the whole of its nearly 40mins. Like his label mate Smog (Bill Callahan), O'Rourke combines upbeat compositions with dour, misanthropic lyrics to create dramatic effect. O'Rourke produced Smog's brilliant 1999 album, Knock Knock, and classic tracks from that LP like Cold Blooded Old Times are reflected here in the glory of songs like Therefore, I Am and Memory Lame, both with beautiful melodies but withering lyrics ("Talking to you reminds me of a motor's endless drone / and how the deaf are so damned lucky"). As I said before, the album's close to flawless so it's hard picking highlights, but I do love the stunning (almost Pet Sounds-esque) arrangement of the title track, and I also really enjoy the mellow feel of the second half of the record, when the guitar playing of Wilco's Jeff Tweedy really comes to the fore. After Insignificance, O'Rourke did release another album on Drag City (2009's The Visitor) but since his relocation to Japan in 2006, his music has become much more experimental (see this clip of a 2011 performance) and he's also become more involved in writing scores and essays on Japanese film. A genuine original.
As well as being an ex-member of Sonic Youth, Jim O'Rourke has also helped to produce albums by Joanna Newsom, Wilco, Smog and Beth Orton, but his solo work lacks the same high profile. His series of albums for Drag City, especially the run from Bad Timing (1997) to Insignificance (2001), is a spectacular achievement and one that gets few plaudits. As I see it, part of the reason for his marginal status in the pop pantheon is that his music doesn't fit in any easy boxes -- his avant-garde compositions and work on film scores means he's not an easy guy to pin down. O'Rourke started out as an experimental musician in Chicago before joining Sonic Youth as guitarist and keyboardist in 1999, helping to revitalise the group with the release of Murray Street in 2002. At the same time, he was working on his solo music, and all his Drag City releases reveal his love of film, especially the cinema of Nicholas Roeg (Bad Timing, Eureka and Insignificance were all films of his in the 80s). O'Rourke has built a reputation as a composer of film scores, working on major releases such as The School Of Rock (2003), as well as more experimental movies by the likes of Harmony Korine and Werner Herzog. In fact, he worked on one of my favourite Herzog films of recent years, Grizzly Man (2005), combining with Richard Thompson to create the atmospheric soundtrack (see clip below).
For Insignificance, as well as previous Drag City albums, O'Rourke toned down his experimental leanings to create slices of pop perfection, and there's not one bad song on the record for the whole of its nearly 40mins. Like his label mate Smog (Bill Callahan), O'Rourke combines upbeat compositions with dour, misanthropic lyrics to create dramatic effect. O'Rourke produced Smog's brilliant 1999 album, Knock Knock, and classic tracks from that LP like Cold Blooded Old Times are reflected here in the glory of songs like Therefore, I Am and Memory Lame, both with beautiful melodies but withering lyrics ("Talking to you reminds me of a motor's endless drone / and how the deaf are so damned lucky"). As I said before, the album's close to flawless so it's hard picking highlights, but I do love the stunning (almost Pet Sounds-esque) arrangement of the title track, and I also really enjoy the mellow feel of the second half of the record, when the guitar playing of Wilco's Jeff Tweedy really comes to the fore. After Insignificance, O'Rourke did release another album on Drag City (2009's The Visitor) but since his relocation to Japan in 2006, his music has become much more experimental (see this clip of a 2011 performance) and he's also become more involved in writing scores and essays on Japanese film. A genuine original.
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