TRAiPSiNG THRU the AiSLES: add these to your basket
October 18, 2024
Scott Foley, purveyor of dust
Perhaps it's only appropriate that, as Halloween approaches, we spill some digital ink on a record about ghosts (literal and metaphorical). After establishing herself as among a preeminent artist in our kind of music with a handful of worthy retro-minded albums, Lindi Ortega encountered a grave medical challenge to her voice. In light of the consequent self-doubt and difficulty performing, she decided to retire into house painting in her native Canada. From the Ether marks Ortega's first full-length release since 2018's Liberty, and the project sounds like nothing she has recorded. Working with producer and drummer Mike Meadows, she set her new paranormal-themed songs to a wide array of percussion, pieces interspersed with ambient crackles and static. Especially coming out of her earlier vocal damage, Lindi Ortega's delivery sounds terrific, heard first on the nearly acapella "The Epitaph", composed of gravestone epitaphs the pair collected while visiting the burial place of John and Alan Lomax. The song titles almost read like cards pulled from a tarot deck: "The Door", "The Ghost", "The Necromancer", etc. You know me, the singer flirts on the bluesy sway of "Ghost Of You", Im looking for a sign / Looking for connection to the other side. Rather than campy "Monster Mash" novelties, From the Ether takes its dark arts to heart, often building its bridge through the sensual. "The Necromancer" reaches out through a buzzing guitar: You're gonna have to woo me from the other side. But there's more dimension to Ortega's cosmology. With disembodied backing howls and a bluesy swagger, "The Door" offers, What you call make-believe / Is your mythology / Is my reality. Vocals are typically layered, sometimes recalling Sierra Ferrell or Rachel Brooke, and Meadows has draped the sessions in thin gauze of studio sound. "The Ghost" takes a metaphorical approach to its haunting, set to a piano and Ortega's enchanting vocal: I've never felt more alone / Than when I was with you / I felt like a ghost / Felt like I was see through. There is a slightly unhinged exorcism on "The Fear", while "The Ancestors" casts a spell for protection with marching snare and chimes. Lindi Ortega and Mark Meadows have taken their project to heart on From the Ether, reportedly the first of a pair of records the duo created. Once we're on the other side of spooky season, we're curious if Ortega's next collection finds her returning to the countrypolitan blend with which she earned her initial reputation.
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As the news of Don Heffington's 2021 death began to spread, most remembrances celebrated his work as an early drummer for Lone Justice. This project begins to flesh out the drummer/producer/songwriter's fuller career as a member of Emmylou Harris' Hot Band, Bob Dylan's Empire Burlesque, contributor to myriad other records and stage shows, and three overlooked solo collections. In the works prior to his passing, the Sweet Relief benefit features contributions from admiring friends, fans, and collaborators, pulling primarily from 2014's Gloryland and 2016's Contemporary Abstractions In Folk Song and Dance (Heffington also collaborated with Tammy Rogers for 1995's In the Red). Among the real revelations here is the fact that Heffington was a genuine songwriter, as attested in Buddy Miller's bluesy americana take on "Fired Again", and "Everywhere I Look", performed by Jackson Browne with guitarist Greg Leisz, with the laid-back Browne demonstrating an unexpected degree of grit. Heffington was often found supporting the Watkins Family Hour, who contribute a sweet folk take on "Kiss the Moon Goodbye", with the voices of Sean and Sarah Watkins weaving together for a magical rendition. Dave Alvin called Don Heffington, always the coolest guy in the room, contributing a Bakersfield bohemian recitation of "Avenue C" with Leisz again on guitar. It's a pleasant surprise to hear some relatively rare contributions from Fiona Apple on Tonight, alongside David Garza for a jazzy take on "Lately". Apple is also featured on percussion on a handful of songs, including a terrifically skewed "Momo", led by drummer Jim Keltner on spoken vocals. She also appears as a member of "Boltcutters" on another more experimental number, "Crablice & Quaaludes". One-time Soul Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg serves as co-producer (with Sheldon Gomberg), as well as backing serveral acts including Heffington himself on an alt.country run through Porter Wagoner's "I'll Go Down Swinging". That tune also boasts Victoria Williams on piano, who also supports Tony Gilkyson on "Seeds On Hard Ground" in addition to offering her own inimitable version of "Although the Lord". Tim Regan and Nine Mile Records are to be commended for convening such a diverse and capable assortment of talent for their recognition of Don Heffington's oeuvre, going above and beyond the typical tribute album. From Willie Watson's acoustic folk to Ramsay Midwood's characteristically unhinged roots-jazz, Tonight throws a well-deserved celebration of the wide world of a little-known artist.
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