Deafman glance

"Deafman Glance could easily have been a mess. Its seemingly deliberate m.o. not to enforce an agenda has resulted in a quizzical and beguiling collection of tunes that, played in virtually any sequence, results in an album of unassuming but nearly constant intrigue and delight. With its fascination quotient running so high, Walker's musical restlessness generously offers a sense of welcome anticipation that listeners can return to almost endlessly".

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"Deafman Glance is road-trip music for a car that keeps breaking down. Taking its name from the title of experimental theater artist Robert Wilson's 1970 play set in a cryptic, menacing world with no sound, the latest album by Chicago-based singer-songwriter Ryley Walker repeatedly collapses into silence only to pull itself back together again, injured but emboldened. Up until now, the 28-year-old guitarist's work was some of the most traditional and reverential to be released by his generation of forward-thinking Americana acts; his jazzy take on folk-rock felt like a fogged-up tribute to heroes like John Martyn and Bert Jansch. On his new record, he distances himself from those influences and finds a more instinctive voice".

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"Deafman Glance er en yderst original folkrock-plade, som med stor succes inddrager elementer fra især jazzens verden. Efter adskillige gennemlytninger, begyndte sangene hver især at folde sig ud for mig, men desværre kom de aldrig til at udgøre et fuldendt hele. Ryley Walkers opmærksomhed er sikkert for længst rykket videre til næste projekt, og vi andre gør klogt i at følge med i, hvad han finder på næste gang".

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"I den sprøde alder af 28 år er Ryley Walker allerede noget af en institution som guitarist med sine fire soloplader. Walker er en traditionelt funderet eksperimenterede musiker. Pendulet svinger lige så ofte mod folk som mod postrock, men på 'Deafman Glance' glider postrocken i flere tilfælde over i både progrock og jazz. Det er faktisk lige i overkanten, når et nummer som 'Can't Ask Why' kommer det meste af det stilistiske spekter rundt uden nogensinde at falde helt til ro. Eller når 'Telluride Speed' tager springet fra progrocklyrisk tværfløjte og blid ballade til heftig jazz af den slags, andre kan levere med større coolness. 'Deafman Glance' er endnu en interessant musikalsk rejse, men det sprængte udtryk stritter for meget i alle retninger".

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