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I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey(Vanguard) First Appeared in The Music Box, February 2006, Volume 13, #2 Written by John Metzger
Considering that finger-picking legend John Fahey founded his own label,
dabbled in everything from Indian ragas to dissonant pop, and subsequently
influenced everyone from Jim O’Rourke to Leo Kottke, it isn’t a stretch to call
him the original DIY artist. Consequently, it also isn’t surprising to discover
that on the 13-track I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey, it’s
the musicians of the indie rock world who come together to pay their respects.
At its heart, Fahey’s music was rooted in old-time folk and blues, but by
viewing these styles with a fresh perspective that straddled the line between
classical composition and avant-garde psychedelia, he imaginatively reinvented
them. Throughout I Am the Resurrection, the versatility of his approach
is on display: Sufjan Stevens delves into the blissful, sunshine-turned-regal
spirituality of Variation on ‘Commemorative Transfiguration & Communion at
Magruder Park’; the Fruit Bats mines the mystical melancholia of Death of
the Clayton Peacock; Lee Ranaldo paints The Singing Bridge of Memphis,
Brooklyn Bridge Version: The Coelcanth with an eerie collage of sound
effects and feedback; Devendra Banhart pensively meditates within Sligo River’s
soothing slipstream; and Calexico playfully wanders through the disquieting
atmospherics of Dance of Death. By definition, there’s nothing on I Am
the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey that is anywhere near as
groundbreaking or strange as Fahey’s own recordings. Yet, what the performers —
which also include Grandaddy, M. Ward, Cul de Sac, and Howe Gelb — accomplish is
still strikingly potent. I Am the Resurrection: A Tribute to John Fahey is available For Canadian orders, please Click Here! For UK orders, please Click Here!
Ratings 1 Star: Pitiful
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box
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