As a young man beginning to dip his toes into the world of experimental music, I noticed that the name Jim O’Rourke came up very frequently. He was associated with Wilco and Sonic Youth and, even among those major names, he was spoken of with a certain reverence. Who was this supposed genius? I needed to know. So I assumed there was an easy entry-point to the world of O’Rourke, a single album on which he built his reputation. Then I found this website and lost my damn mind.
Jim O’Rourke puts out a ton of material, that’s what I’m saying. Even that aforementioned website has stopped keeping track! O’Rourke has been particularly prolific this year, having released a new Fenn O’Berg album, a new record with Keiji Haino and Oren Ambarchi, a new entry in his Old News series, and probably some other releases that aren’t coming off the top of my head. On October 1, the list of O’Rourke releases will get one entry longer, as he puts out Old News No. 8 through Editions Mego. True to its name, Old News No. 8 boasts some very old material, dating back to 1991 and 1992. These songs were remastered in 2012 at the Steamroom in Tokyo, so the record is like a collision between the past and the future. Just like that Futurama episode where Fry becomes his own grandpa.
Old News No. 8 tracklist:
01. Mere Pt. 1
02. Mere Pt. 2
03. Mere Pt. 3
04. Merely
• Jim O’Rourke: http://www.dragcity.com/artists/jim-orourke
• Old News: http://editionsmego.com/releases/old-news
• Editions Mego: http://editionsmego.com
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