Greg Weeks and Espers


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Fire In The Arms Of The Sun (1999) , 6.5/10
Awake Like Sleep (2001) , 6/10
Espers (2004), 5/10
Blood Is Trouble (2005), 5.5/10
Espers: The Weed Tree (2005), 4/10
Espers: II (2006), 6.5/10
Espers: III (2009), 5/10
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(Clicka qua per la versione Italiana)

Greg Weeks, a New York-based singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist (the moog being his favorite keyboard), debuted with Fire In The Arms Of The Sun (BaDaDing, 1999), which introduced his hushed, subdued, minor-key and melancholy bedroom style, somewhat reminiscent of Nick Drake. What is unique about Weeks is the way he lets the instrumental parts digress, as if they have a life beyond the lyrics, and complement the song's story with an inward journey to the depths of the soul. The Angel Of Death is an appropriate manifesto: a whispered litany ends with a lengthy coda in which the guitar wanders aimlessly, eventually met by a cello and an organ. Joan Of Arc is a bit more upbeat, like a bossanova played by Donovan. Donovan's ethereal/pastoral/medieval tone also comes to mind for the six-minute The Pale Shade, with one of the most complex, almost orchestral, codas. Another relatively serene song, The Flesh Of Terrain, resembles Leo Kottke's domestic vignettes. But then the mood collapses, first with Tracey Bowen's Double Life (and another odd instrumental coda) and then with Leaves And Limerance, another highlight in that semi-bossanova style (and one of the purest ballads), all the way to the sinister tinkling and the solemn piano of Straw Days (track 14), a song so gloomy to sound like a requiem. Electronic noises flood the score of Harvest of Sighs (track 13), another lengthy and complex confession. (Note: the numbering of the tracks on the CD sleeve is incorrect).

The eight-song mini-album Bleecker Station (Ptolemaic Terrascope, 2000) is a concept that documents the breakup of a relationship. Unlike the album, this is a starker work, mostly limited to voice and guitar.

The electronic lieder of Awake Like Sleep (BaDaBing, 2001) mark a return to the style of the first album and a progression towards a more futuristic sound.

The EP Slightly West (Acuarela, 2003) is a graceful appendix to the album, with the material that sounds slightly more straightforward.

Philadelphia's Espers (Locust, 2004) is a folk-rock trio (featuring vocalist Meg Baird and acoustic guitarist Brooke Sietinsons) that perhaps relies too much on the pyrotechnics of Greg Weeks' acid guitar. Even the lengthy Hearts & Daggers and Travel Mountains sound contrived and unfinished. The mini-album The Weed Tree (2005) collected covers. Espers' II (Drag City, 2006), with the band now a sextet (Weeks mainly on electronics, Baird on vocals, Sietinsons on acoustic guitar, Swedish-born Helena Espvall on cello, Chris Smith on bass, Otto Hauser on percussion), was a far less derivative affair, more preoccupied with crafting ambience than penning acic-folk ballads. The lengthy Dead Queen, Children Of Stone and Dead King melancholy evocative and zen-like impressionistic. Even the singing is more ambient than merely decorative.

Blood Is Trouble (Ba Da Bing, 2005) returns to the introverted mood of his solo albums. It loses in poetry what it gains in structure.

Espvall and Batoh (Drag City, 2008) was a collaboration between Helena Espvall of the Espers and Masaki Batoh of Ghost, continued on Overloaded Ark (Drag City, 2009).

Most of the Espers, including Greg Weeks, as well as members of Fursaxa and Fern Knight played on The Valerie Project (Drag City, 2007).

The Espers' III (Drag City, 2009) is their most serene but also least engaging collection.

(Translation by/ Tradotto da Andrea Marengo)

Greg Weeks è un cantante, cantautore, chitarrista e tastierista (il moog è la sua tastiera preferita). Fire In The Arms Of The Sun (BaDaDing, 1999) propose il suo stile da camera da letto silenzioso, sommesso e malinconico in chiave minore, che ricordava in qualche modo Nick Drake. Ciò che rende unico Weeks è il modo in cui permette alle parti strumentali di digredire come se avessero una vita oltre i testi, concludendo infine la trama delle canzoni con un intimo viaggio nelle profondità dell'anima. The Angel Of Death è una testimonianza azzeccata: una litania sussurrata che termina con una lungo finale nel quale la chitarra divaga senza meta, incontrando a volte un violoncello e un organo. La leggermente più ottimista Joan Of Arc somiglia ad una bossanova suonata da Donovan. I sei minuti di The Pale Shade, che vanta una dei finali più comlessi e orchestrali dell'album, rievoca le sonorità eteree/medievali/pastorali di Donovan. Un'altra canzone relativamente calma, The Flesh Of Terrain, somiglia alle vignette domestiche di Leo Kottke. Però, in un secondo momento, lo spirito del disco collassa, prima con Tracey Bowen Double Life (che presenta un'altro bizzarro finale strumentale), poi con Leaves And Limerance, un'altra vetta dello stile semi-bossanova (nonché una delle ballate più "pure" dell'opera). L'album è colmato da Straw Days (la quattordicesima traccia), una canzone tanto mesta da somigliare ad un requiem e dai rumori elettronici che inondano Harves Of Sights (la tredicesima traccia), un'altra confessione lunga e complessa. (N.B.: la numerazione delle tracce sul retro della copertina è scorretta).

Il mini-album di otto canzoni Bleecker Station (Ptolemaic Terrascope, 2000) è un concept che tratta la fine di una relazione, benché l'album, limitato alla sola voce e chitarra, sia a tutti gli effetti un'opera d'esordio.

Il lieder elettronico di Awake Like Sleep (BaDaDing, 2001) segna un ritorno allo stile del primo album e un'evoluzione a sonorità più futuristiche. 

L'EP Slightly West (Acuarela, 2003) è una graziosa appendice all'album contenente materiale leggermente più fuorviante.

Espers (Locust, 2004), attribuito al trio dei Philadelphia (comprendente la cantante Meg Baird e il chitarrista acustico Brooke Sietinsons), fa forse troppo affidamento alla chitarra acida e pirotecnica di Weeks. Persino la lunga Herts & Daggers And Travel Mountains sembra forzata e inconcludente. Il mini-album The Weed Tree (2005), attribuito agli Espers,  raccoglie cover, mentre II (Drag City, 2006), che presenta la formazione allargata a sei membri (Weeks all'elettronica, Baird alla voce, Sietinsons alla chitarra acustica, Helena Espvall al violoncello, Chris Smith al basso, Otto Hauser alle percussioni), era un episodio più derivativo e più assorto nella costruzione di atmosfere piuttosto che nella composizione di ballate folk acide. Le lunghe Dead Queen,  Children Of Stone e Dead King sono melanconicamente evocative e impressioniste allo stesso modo dello zen. Persino il cantato è diventato più "ambientale" che decorativo.

Blood Is Trouble (Ba Da Ding, 2005) che perde tanto in poesia quanto guadagna in solidità, ritornava alla vena introversa dei suoi album solisti. 

Espvall And Batoh (Drag City, 2008) era una collaborazione tra Helena Espvall degli Espers e Masaki Batoh dei Ghost che proseguiva su Overloaded Ark (Drag City, 2009). 

La maggior parte dei membri degli Espers, quali Fursaxa e Fern Knight, suonarono su The Valerie Project (Drag City, 2007).

III (Drag City, 2009), degli Espers, era la loro raccolta più calma, ma anche la meno avvincente.

Espvall debuted solo with Nimis & Arx (2006). singing and playing cello, guitar and recorder while George Korein played electronics. Espvall also played in Anahita, documented on Arcana En Cantos (2006) , Matricaria (2008), and Tourmaline (2016). Leaves from Off the Tree (2006) was Espvall with Sharron Kraus and Meg Baird. Lapidary (2010) collects improvisations with Marcia Bassett of Double Leopards, and Improvisations for Strings and Electronics (2012) collects improvisations with Marielle Jakobsons and Agnes Szelag. Cauldron (2012) was Espvall with Alan Sondheim and Azure Carter. Other collaborations include A Hallowed Shell of Ash and Rust (2013) with San Francisco-based guitarist Ernesto Diaz-Infante (Espvall on amplified cello and electronics, Diaz-Infante on amplified bajo sexto, steel guitar and electronic tanpura, tom-tom drum and singing bowl) and Sombras Incendiadas (2015) with Portuguese composer David Maranha of Osso Exotico. A 2014 split album with Jackie-O Motherfucker contains the 22-minute duet Electrogesis with guitarist Tom Carter of Charalambides

Espvall moved to Portugal and quickly became a staple of the local scene of jazz improvisers. The cacophonous 34-minute piece of Sul (2018) was performed by a string orchestra led by Ernesto Rodrigues and augmented with percussionist Andrew Drury. The string orchestra consists of Rodrigues on viola, Espvall and Miguel Mira on cellos, Gianna de Toni and Miguel Almeida on acoustic guitar, Abdul Moimeme on electric guitar, Alvaro Rosso and Hernani Faustino on double basses, Maria do Mar on violin, and Biagio Verdolini on zither. Espvall also performed in the 30-minute Mare Tranquillitatis (2019) by Ernesto Rodrigues' Variable Geometry Orchestra. Queen Triot (2020) documents free-jazz improvisations by a quintet with Ernesto Rodrigues and Marie Takahashi on violas, Maria do Mar on violin, and João Valinho on percussion. Turquoise Dream (2021) documents a quartet with pianist Marta Warelis, violinist Carlos “Zingaro” and acoustic guitarist Marcelo dos Reis playing abstract, dissonant chamber music. Ernesto Rodrigues also leads the Isotope Ensemble and drafted Espvall for the 27-minute piece of Radium (2019) and the 41-minute Electroacoustic on Uranium (2022). The Quartet Exquis with bass clarinetist Noel Taylor, clarinetist AnnaMarie Ignarro and double bassist João Madeira is documented on Da Multiplicidade Do Vacuo (2021). The all-female sextet Lantana with vocalist Maria Radich, violinist Maria do Mar, cellist Joana Guerra, trumpeter Anna Piosik, and electronic musician Carla Santana is documented on Elemental (2022).

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