Drill a Hole in That Substrate & Tell Me What You See: Jim White: Amazon.ca: Music

1. Static on the Radio

2. Bluebird

3. Combing My Hair In A Brand New Style

4. That Girl from Brownsville, Texas

5. Borrowed Wings

6. If Jesus Drove a Motor Home

7. Objects in Motion

8. Buzzards of Love

9. Alabama Chrome

10. Phone Booth in Heaven

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews

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4 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Future Country?, Mar 8 2005

By

Alan Ranta (Tiny Mix Tapes) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drill A Hole In That Substrate And Tell Me What You See (Audio CD)

To classify this as country seems like an arbitrary decision but it is too lyrical and traditional for post-rock and too mellow for alt. rock so progressive country it is. Drill has a loungy tone devoid of the hootenanny factor but it does tend to go over the top in the production area from time to time. Smooth and full of effort to expand the boundaries of country in most tracks, I believe White overextends himself in the process sometimes specifically on "Combing My Hair In A Brand New Style" which is styled after the Black Crowes' "Soul Singing" mixed with the Sopranos' theme. Each song is explored to the fullest, five out of ten going well over six minutes long, and the range of musical apparatus used like keyboards, bongos, an Irish flute, all manner of percussions, and pro-tools off-set the usual country line-up completely bending traditional notions and guaranteeing his videos will never be played on CMT. His lyrics pursue an Eels led depression with more of a "Jesus, what went wrong" edge to them. The guest appearance of Aimee Mann perfectly sets the tone of the album with her typically sullen croon on the first track and the Barenaked Ladies don't seem out of place here either although the album is definitely closer to her solo work than theirs. Aside from the combing incident, this is a strong album regardless of whatever genre you think this is. The question now becomes, will Blanche, Iron & Wine, and the like continue to push the barriers of their ancient genre or rest on their profitable achievements?

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5.0 out of 5 stars A Great New Album from Americana's Rimbaud, July 20 2004

By

Juan Mobili (Valley Cottage, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Drill A Hole In That Substrate And Tell Me What You See (Audio CD)

Jim White's South in its own dark way spins another yarn of wondrous stories where strung out Santa Clauses and Jesus listening to Dylan and driving a motorhome, are but only part of a lyric universe that owes as much to Country myths as to the ghost of Rimbaud.
Yes, this is another of White's "seasons in hell" more Texas, though, than nineteenth century France but probably as hallucinatory. These are tales of a man who, more than raised in America, has been abducted by it as it was an alien mothership.
For those who loved his first two albums, this one may not necessarily be that different, and what I said so far, not completely farfetched. This is not to say that this album lack musical surprises nor artistic growth, and Joe Henry's production has no small part of such accomplishment. Jim White can be dark all by himself but with Henry's aid gains a smokier, jazzier feel, which fits the songs like a silk glove.
In general, the tunes Joe Henry helmed as producer -which account for half the album- are the most interesting ones. I'd say that this is, in its own way, as inspired a collaboration as Loretta Lynn found with Jack White in Van Lear Rose. Of course, the music is far from similar but the producers' tugging and pushing an artist's certain style into new colors and atmospheres is comparable.
"Static In The Radio" -sung with Aimee Mann- and "Combing My Hair In A Brand New Style" are great examples of the musician-producer connection I've described, and so is "Buzzards of Love" with some powerful horns, somewhat reminiscent of Henry's own "Tiny Voices." And then there are three personal favorites of mine: "Bluebird," "That Girl from Brownsville Texas" and Phone Booth in Heaven" -stunning ballads all ... a weakness of mine- which are tender in their own wounded ways.
As White sings that a friend once told him ... "Jim, what you cling to, that's the thing that you had best forget. For ain't no rose bed ever gonna bloom in an untended field of regrets." Well, Jim White is definitely tending those regrets again and some glorious roses have begun to bloom.

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5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely brilliant (as usual)...., Jun 18 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Drill A Hole In That Substrate And Tell Me What You See (Audio CD)

no one (in recent memory) has explored the worlds of Greyhound Bus stations, small-town Southern preachers, passing trains and poetic trailerpark dream-state melodrama better than Jim White. (the usual) biblical references are present as are the ethereally whispered tales of bodies floating down rivers accompanied by misinterpreted radio broadcasts and birds perching quietly on telephone wires. this is a remarkable album from an artist that deserves MUCH more appreciation than he has received. fans of Jim White might note that this record has a bit LESS "hip/trip-hop" presence (in the production) and a displays a "jazzier/lounge" feel than NO SUCH PLACE. this is not a bad thing. it works VERY well for the songs on this recording.
"Static On The Radio", "Bluebird" and "Objects In Motion" are mesmerizingly gorgeous and the entire album is an absolute knock-out. EXCELLENT stuff and HIGHLY recommended. i give it TWO Stuckey's Pecan Logs UP!!!

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars If you only buy one CD in 2004....
On the cover of Jim White's latest album is the ghostly image of a man and a woman, faces close together, looking out from the shadows. Read more

Published on Jun 8 2004 by JG

5.0 out of 5 stars If you only buy one CD in 2004.....
Please see standard U.S. version for my review. No need to buy the import version, since the only difference is that the import version was released earlier.

Published on April 19 2004 by JG