Glenn Jones
Against Which The Sea Continually Beats
Thrill Jockey
/
2017
2LP
35.49
thrill443lp / Includes Download Code
Gatefold sleeve
Incl. VAT plus shipping / Orders from outside the EU are exempt from VAT
Tracklist
1Island 1
2David & The Phoenix
3Little Dog's Day
4Cady
5Richard Nixon Orchid
6Freedom Raga
7Against My Ruin
8The Teething Necklace (For John Fahey)
9Heartbreak Hill
10Bill Muller On The Erie Lackawanna
11Island 2

Against Which the Sea Continually Beats was Jones’ second album originally released in 2007 on CD-only by Strange Attractors Audio House. This first time vinyl issue has been re-mastered and features expanded liner notes written by Jones just for this release.

Glenn Jones is a master of American Primitive Guitar, a style invented in the late 1950s by John Fahey, whose traditional fingerpicking techniques and wide-ranging influences were used to create modern original compositions.

Jones, who led the post-rock ensemble Cul de Sac, brings his own made-up tunings, the use of custom-crafted partial capos, and a highly skilled picking style on both banjo and guitar, to create personal compositions that are lyrical, emotive and elegant. What sets him apart from the myriad guitarists playing today is his ability to tell stories with the guitar and banjo, and to convey a range of emotions. This process starts with the compositions themselves and carries through to his selection of recording environment and engineer.

Against Which the Sea Continually Beats was recorded over four days during late September 2006 in beautiful West Tinsbury, Martha’s Vineyard, MA. The peaceful, seafaring setting of the island community inspired the recording sessions, lending an air of tranquility that served to coax from Glenn Jones impeccable performances, most of which were captured in just one take. Book-ended by the brief slide blues laments “Island 1” and “Island 2”, the album’s eleven tunes travel from Delta to Appalachia, from classical to a cinematic sort of folk sound in a language that is purely imbued in the artists’ own dialect.

Graceful and subtle, resonating with confidence and at times sheer power, Against Which the Sea Continually Beats is a masterpiece of guitar soli by a truly singular talent.