When I was a young rock fan, I cut my teeth on metal, glam and other, and I thought the pinnacle of percussion was to dangle out over the crowd in a rotating, mobile-like drum kit. Tommy Lee seemed to have everything. After all, they screamed for him down below like no other.
Fast forward years later, and my idea of a cool skin man is something quite different. It isn't power rolls or gimmicks, but the capacity to change the complexion of an entire album. It is definitely a rare trait, but one not impossible -- try works like Zeppelin IV or, in a more contemporary sense, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot the much maligned masterwork by Wilco. Of the many things that made the 2002 opus a piece of legend was its quirky, almost nonsensical feeling that pervaded almost every track. Thank Jeff Tweedy's songwriting sensibility for that, and thank Jim O'Rourke's production as well, but a lost influence among that mix might be Glenn Kotche, the man the Chicago Tribune calls, "rock's finest drummer."
On 2006's LP Mobile Kotche comes free of his obligation to Wilco and other bands (Loose Fur and On Fillmore) long enough to record his third solo album of percussion instruments. In the mix are a solo vibraphone, marimba, cembalo, piano, mbira, kit drums, and more. Understandably, the result isn't a traditional rock record. Kotche brings the listener themes, such as "Clapping Music Variations" based on Steve Reich's 1972 "Clapping Music", and "Monkey Chant" a retelling in percussion form of the monkey battle in the epic Hindu Ramayana tale. It's a challenging piece of music on a challenging record, but no less engaging because of its esoteric source.
Where Mobile comes across as most successful is when it is viewed as a densely layered experimental catalog of sounds and incomplete musical phrases. These songs were born out of Wilco sessions, but in no way should be viewed as a compliment to a record by the alt-rock country band. Kotche has one of the most unique albums in recent memory going here, and certainly something that deserves attention on its own accord. His association with Tweedy's band causes a shadow, but proven by Mobile, it is one he can get out from under. |