100022

Cavalcade

Thrill Jockey
thrill 067 - 1999

The Lonesome Organist is Jeremy J. Jacobsen, a one- man band of unequal talent, who in the past year has loaned his musical expertise and eccentricity to records by The John Spencer Blues Explosion, Euphone, PW Long’s Reelfoot and the recently re-formed 5ive Style among others. Cavalcade is The Lonesome Organist’s third release, following a five song 7" and his debut full-length, Collector of Cactus Echo Bags, which came out in the Fall of 1997. The Lonesome Organist recorded the majority of Cavalcade himself in an attempt to reproduce in its most primitive and true state, the experience of seeing The Lonesome Organist in the live setting. Jeremy spent the better part of the year on the road and expanded his one-man act to include steel drum, saw and tape delay in an effort to round out his preferred arsenal of drums, guitar, keyboards, harmonica and vocals. Cavalcade was done live and straight to two-track. Jeremy played all the instruments simultaniously. Rhythms were generated using live drum contraptions, tap shoes, steel pan and electronic gadgetry, while melodies came courtesy of organ, guitars, and the vocal croanings of Mr. Jacobsen. Select songs were recorded at Chicago’s Uber Studios. There was no mixing ‘cause it’s live to two-track.The result is music with a swirling metamorphasis of style and sound. Yes, The Lonesome Organist has the rarely seen and miraculous ability to move effortlessly from reckless organ bashings to carnival steel pans with tape manipulated speed-ups to hillbilly guitars to techno beat box yodeling. Images of Italy, Appalachia, Trinidad and Tobago, the Old West, Mali and more all slide seemlessly by as The Lonesome Organist crafts the procession of sound into a truly original formation. How he manages to handle the reins and keep these forces in check is certainly impressive, and the result is astounding.

Tracklist

00:00:00

  • 1 The Storm Past By
  • 2 Balloon Race Phenomenon
  • 3 The Low Strike
  • 4 Cranked Up Too Hard
  • 5 The Steam Crow
  • 6 Dirty Plight
  • 7 Vibe Sequencer
  • 8 Fly on My Plate
  • 9 New Age Vamp
  • 10 Flew Out My Window
  • 11 Boing!
  • 12 Lonsome Hobo Squaw
  • 13 All Of Those Dirty Swine
  • 14 At the Wingfest
  • 15 Vine Parade
  • 16 Lap Steel