Search - Jon Durant :: Anatomy of a Wish

Anatomy of a guitar texture

howarth54321@hotmail.com | sunny Tucson, sunny Arizona | 12/23/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"i don't know much about durant except his occasional internet activities around both the david torn list and the loopers-delight list; he's an interesting guitarist though, and if you know what torn and loopers stand for, you'll enjoy this album. if not, imagine thick, muggy fog banks of tone - not distorted raunch (this is a "new age" album after all), but ethereal noodling. durant can play "guitar" too; he's not entirely caught in making weird noises with electronics (though one can note the Lexicon and Klein equipment he uses) and he's quite able to blister off a few runs and strangle dissonant passages on the fly (see david torn for further inspiration). tony levin and michael manring guest on basses (levin also on chapman stick, manring only on track 2 with signature fretless warble); don't remember the drummer's name, but i think he also produced or engineered a bit of the project. a review in Bass Player magazine caught my attention to this disc - described it as a Peter Gabriel "Passion" soundtrack with a new twist, coupling exotic percussion and floating "cloud guitars" (durant's term) ... unfortunately i didn't find it to be on the caliber of the greatest album in the last twenty years (that is, of course, Passion by Peter Gabriel). as with any fine product, a reviewer will strive to compare it to something better - and Anatomy of a Wish draws comparison to the finest of contemporary music - not an insignificance. if you've followed the above references, you'll want jon durant's Anatomy of a Wish."