“Knock knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Banana, knock knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Banana, knock knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Banana, knock knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Oren.”
“Oren who?”
“Oren’t you glad I didn’t say ‘banana’?”
All kidding aside, For Sam, Forever Ago, fortunately not some kind of rehash or track-by-track cover of the Bon Iver (ew) record of a similar name, is a tribute to Curt Oren’s dog, who passed away in 2016. My brother just adopted a puppy, and it’s the first dog our family ever had (thanks to my other brother, who is allergic). The puppy’s name is Sherman. He’s adorable.
Also fortunately, Curt both reins in and expands upon the sax work for which he’s known around here as half of Fuck Lungs, which I’ve had the pleasure of checking out not super long ago. This side of Curt is definitely a welcome one. Back on Already Dead for another go-round, Curt starts out on the solo-sax tip, but he gradually works in samples and effects and percussive elements that elevate the tape beyond simply a masturbatory exercise. There’s even a guitar led singalong at the end of “It’s Simple (peace on earth)” that wouldn’t be out of place at a Flaming Lips concert (I imagine)!
He spreads out the drone on flipside tracks like “River” and “Prairie,” letting the sounds stretch as far as they can and accompanying them with little accoutrements here and there. What Curt proves throughout this exercise is how obviously imaginative he is with his instrument. Whether he’s gazing across vistas or fucking around with a loop station, his vision is singular, his and his alone, and he wraps everything up into a nice tidy package.
OK, fine, here’s Sherman. Oren’t you glad you get to experience the cuteness???
Stream For Sam, Forever Ago below.
More about: Curt Oren
