Rolling Nels Cline Thread

As I said though, he's just kind of another guitar part or lap steel part on a lot of these songs. Not that that's bad, but it is what it is.

That's certainly not the case on Impossible Germany.

I love hearing him play lap steel, though, the stuff he did on Carla Bozulich's Red Headed Stranger cover album and the Geraldine Fibbers' Butch is great. In fact those are probably 2 records that'd be good to check out if you want to hear Nels play in the context of a band w/ a singer. (xpost)

No, it's definitely not, Daniel.

OK, lap steel: "Sky Blue Sky" and "Leave You Like You Found Me" (I think...) from Sky Blue Sky and "Deeper Down" and "Solitaire" from Wilco (the album).

There's also a little one of those backwards guitar solo things at the end of "You and I" from Wilco (the album) and some neat guitar work on "You Are My Face" and "Walken" from Sky Blue Sky.

If I like Nels's work more when he's in "Impossible Germany" and/or experimental noise-stuff mode rather than jazz mode, what stuff from his back catalogue should I look into?

hmm good question -- i might have to make you a mix!

i never browsed his website before, thanks for the tip. apparently they recorded Instrumentals in just 15 hours, sort of depressing really considering how great it is...

from what i've heard of Destroy All Nels Cline it falls under both experimental noise-stuff mode and jazz mode, so maybe check that one out, kshighway? anyway, some dude, i'll be up for a copy of that mix if it happens

yeah Destroy All Nels Cline is great, very high up on my list of fav Nels releases of this decade

If I like Nels's work more when he's in "Impossible Germany" and/or experimental noise-stuff mode rather than jazz mode, what stuff from his back catalogue should I look into?

Have you listened to the new Cline disc? It isn't like Impossible Germany, but it (a) has some rock tendencies (one song is a tribute to a Sonic Youth guitarist) and (b) it's in the experimental noise-stuff mode, I think. Others here -- more knowledgeable than me -- can confirm.

Yeah Coward was the impetus for this thread and is awesome, although YMMV if you'd rather hear him w/ a band than just in that kind of solo context. I think my favorite record from him as a songwriter/bandleader is the Nels Cline Trio's Ground, which has a really good balance of harder rock, noise, jazz and ballads.

Immolation/Immersion, with saxophonist Wally Shoup and drummer Chris Corsano is awesome free jazz/improv. Absolutely ferocious opening salvo gives way to intense but quite varied excursions.

I have a mostly unlistened to copy of Coward in my bedroom right now! Will pull it out and come back here with thoughts.

sonderangerbot, I'll check out Destroy All Nels Cline, also.

Guess this doesn't really fit the "not jazz" bill, but the record of Interstellar Space covers w/Gregg Bendian is pretty fire..

The first time I really met Nels (had seen quite a few gigs by that time) was at a Scarnella show. We had a friendly argument about Yes vs Sabbath. He thinks Sabbath is garbage.

Insanity.

Saw Nels the other week at the Sky Saxon tribute show. He was easily the most 'out of place' performer, given who else did perform, but I liked his set for that reason.

Am I alone in loving Draw Breath? (Haven't heard the new one or many of the others that are mentioned here.)

I wouldn't say I love it but I definitely wouldn't turn my nose up at it. "Squirrel Of God" is aces.

The Coward samples on iTunes sound good. Will I be losing much (in sound quality) if I download from iTunes instead of buying a CD? It's $4 cheaper and I don't have to wait. I'd buy a CD if it sounds a lot better though.

"if it sounded"

Coward is only $8.99 on Amazon MP3, fwiw: http://www.amazon.com/Coward/dp/B001R64H8W

Quality on iTunes & Amazon MP3 is 256 kbps, which is not as high quality as a CD but is usually good enough for most people's purposes. If I were you, I'd buy the CD if you want a hard copy or want a digital copy that's better quality than the mainstream digital stores are offering.

I've pretty much just given up on MP3 stores, though, because I've discovered I can find most CDs cheaply priced locally or on Amazon.

It's about $4 or $5 more for the CD on Amazon.

I understand. I just wondered if this particular album sounds especially good on CD. The difference is far more noticeable with some albums (usually less-compressed, well-produced recordings with a wide dynamic range a great deal of detail) than others for me. Honestly, though, on my stereo, 256 is probably about as good as a CD. Hm, I think I've convinced myself.

Although Frisell does generally seem better on CD...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5139xfjzGiL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

new Nels Cline/G.E. Stinson album Elevating Device out in a couple weeks, whole album is one improvised 44-minute track. excerpt here: http://soundsareactive.com/nels-cline-ge-stinson-elevating-device-saa1150/

On first listen now, and I like it so far:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/acousticguitartrio

been meaning to ask if anyone had heard that, still need to check it out

i haven't really gotten into the new Evangelista record too much yet, but a while back Nels said on his site that he plays on 3 tracks on it...anyone have a physical copy w/ liner notes that say which 3 tracks? i got it on eMusic so i have no idea.

Listening to some of Vignes (the new Acoustic Guitar Trio album) last night, with headphones on helped a little. I liked hearing the distinct places of the three different guitars. Much of this is on the somewhat mellow side, which is one reason I wanted to check it out, but that may put off other potential listeners here.

I'm not loving this. The first part is pretty nice, but the third part definitely sounds like what I'd be afraid acoustic guitar free improv. would typically sound like. (Still, I have not sat down and listened to the whole thing with the attention it might require; but at the very least it's not drawing me in.)

'Grow Closer' is beautiful.

London Wilco gig just announced at the Royal Festival Hall Sept 14th.

http://pitchfork.com/news/38076-wilco-the-sandwich-shop/

http://www.nelscline.com/images/initiate-CD.jpg

COMING APRIL 13, 2010!

THE NELS CLINE SINGERS - "Initiate" (Cryptogramophone 2 CD set)

Recorded in Berkeley (Fantasy Studios) and San Francisco (Cafe Du Nord), this is a heapin' helpin' of The Singers: a studio and a 'live' disc. The studio disc sees us moving into some decidedly different terrain. I actually use my voice (wordlessly) on some tracks, Devin plays bass guitar... All hell has broken loose! There are special guests, even! The studio disc features David Witham and Yuka Honda on keyboards. The 'live' disc features Satomi Matsuzaki, Greg Saunier, and John Dieterich (AKA three fourths of Deerhoof) on percussion (on a blazing and/or totally indulgent version of Weather Report's "Boogie Woogie Waltz"). Produced by David Breskin and recorded and mixed by Ron Saint Germain, this is either the most friendly Singers recording to date or the most antisocial, depending on who you are and what you expect. The package features beautiful photographs of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN by Simon Norfolk throughout (as well as some 'live' shots from the Cafe Du Nord gig by Peak), so all in all you know this is another Cryptogramophone production of visionary packaging excellence. And you might like the music, too.

super geeked about this, forks mentioned on another thread that he's already heard it

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61AE3RToAIL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Initiate is obviously killer but somehow it totally passed me by that the Singers also released a collab album with a sax quartet in March, anyone heard this!?!?

i need to buy some of this stuff, for real

This is exciting. I love Rova. Cline played an intense solo on this project BTW: http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Ascension-Rova-Orkestra/dp/B0007XT7QI

Nels making some all-too-rare East coast appearances starting tonight:

http://www.nelscline.com/calendar.html

07/06 NYC | Le Poisson Rouge
The Nels Cline Singers
2 shows: 7pm, 9:30pm

07/07 Philadelphia, PA | Johnny Brenda's
The Nels Cline Singers
8pm

07/08 Washington, DC | Black Cat
The Nels Cline Singers
8pm

07/13-18 NYC | The Village Vanguard
Jenny Scheinman's Mischief and Mayhem

07/19 NYC | The Stone
Nels Cline "Stone Seminar #29"
Nels speaks about music, guitars and life
7-9pm / $20 / All Ages

08/15 North Adams, MA | Solid Sound Festival
The Nels Cline Singers

I'm only going to the D.C. show but that Stone Seminar thing sounds awesome

needs to come to Boston imo

you mean you're not gonna drive a couple hours away for that last date which appears to be a festival headlined by Wilco?

if I had the extra money and more enthusiasm than I currently have ATM for music, I probably totally would

I probably should just go anyway but \(O_O)/

yeah i can empathize. you have to realize how much you're disappointing the whole of ILM by not going to a festival curated by Wilco in your own state, though. xp

yo, it's ksh

Nels says Wilco's starting their own label:

I don't know the name of it. Jeff [Tweedy] was basically not wanting to be on a record label for a while-- he didn't renew his contract with Nonesuch-- so we're striking out on our own, our own label.

http://www.nelscline.com/images/dirtybaby-news-cover.jpg

the new Nels album Dirty Baby came out last week and I've only just started listening to it but it seems like it's gonna be a real doozy -- double album with a ton of interesting backing players, the whole backstory is explained on nelscline.com so i won't get into it here.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61ukRrxOfTL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

also out in the last month or so is the self-titled debut from Floored By Four, which is Nels, Mike Watt, Dougie Browne and Yuka Honda. it's 4 tracks/40 minutes and is only 4 bucks on Amazon MP3! awesome record, really digging this ensemble. this has really been a banner year for Nels between these albums and Initiate, and I still haven't checked out the album with Rova or some of his other sideman things.

oh and I also meant to mention in that post, I reviewed the SIngers D.C. show over the summer and it was awesome: http://blogs.citypaper.com/noise/index.php/2010/07/six-string-superhero-the-nels-cline-singers-at-the-black-cat-july-8/

FYI, in case you missed this info on the Low thread: Nels is playing on their next album.

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=4792941&blogId=539853661

oh cool. Nels hadn't mentioned it on his site and I don't really follow Low so I had no idea, but I could totally see that being an awesome combination.

This Bimhuis gig by the Singers from last month is leaving blisters on my eardrums, fucking great.
https://www.mixcloud.com/bimhuis/nels-cline-singers-15-03-2015/

60th birthday today. For some reason I thought he was a lot younger.

yeah he was already in his 40s when he joined the Fibbers!

i haven't heard much from him lately besides the White Out w/ Nels Cline album but that was good and noisy

Crüt tipped me off to that one the other day with his 2015 albums list -- really love it.

can't wait to check this one out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=penuNbYSK6E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDHVGzKSOSA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDHVGzKSOSA

I'm about 15 minutes in (it's on Spotify) and it's really beautiful. I listened to a bunch of Cline the other day and started listening to this, but wasn't in the mood for beautiful so set it aside for later.

that bilt looks beautiful

From the DowntownMusicGallery newsletter:

Over the past couple of decades, Nels has led a
variety of bands/projects for labels: Enja, Cryptogramophone and Mack
Avenue. His current band, the Nels Cline Singers, has evolved from record
to record and will be recording a John Zorn Masada Book Three session later
this year.

I think this has been announced for some time now, but I hope it will come out soon...

Wow, this sounds so gorgeous and lush, and I'm only listening on earbuds so looking forward to hearing it on something fuller.

I'm usually a bit disin-clined towards this 'un, but his latest 4-tet including Lage is rather good.

nels cline has really big hands

even great wealth can't buy you really big hands in the US, it seems.

some are born to big hands, others have big hands thrust upon them, but no-one achieves big hands

makes u think

This latest Cline 4-tet is decent but, for me the latest Dan Weiss project Starebaby is much more "out there".

Marquee Moon feel to this: https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/04/the-nels-cline-4-full-session.html

We've talked about it a bit on the jazz thread. Predictably, I'm a fan.

I've seen and enjoyed Nels in a bunch of different settings, but one of my favorites was at this year's Big Ears with Jenny Scheinman's Mischief & Mayhem. It was the two of them plus Todd Sickafoose on bass and Scott Amendola on drums, and they were just rollicking. Four equals all having a good time impressing each other on stage. One reason I love Nels is that he so clearly loves playing, there's always this little-kid glee in what he does.

xp
You heard the latest Dan Weiss Sund4r? The band includes Craig Taborn + Matt Mitchell, and it's an excellent lp as well.

That's the one with Monder on guitar? It's definitely on my list.

yeah that's the one, Starebaby.

This is what I like, yeah.