De Stijl Rec.
Michael Yonkers : Grimwood (US,1969, re.2007)****'
Michael Yonkers since 1966 had his own recording studio where since its early days he experimented heavily with all kinds of effect boxes, distortion, with "circuit bending", "tape loops", homemade "echo machines", and "tape manipulation". He had his own electric bands but also released some solo records on his private label, of which the more electric psychrock “Microminiature Love” is his first work from 1968, an album which has been released before by the same label on LP in 2002 (it was on CD the next year by subpop records), followed by this, more acoustic album called “Grimwood”.
It is a rather unique and attractive album, driven by a big portion of individuality, which is unrestricted and weird within reachable and recognisable patterns. It has the best of self-control and construction combined with a deliberate, creative losing grip inspiration, a tension with inspirations on the spot, with short inspirations, often lo-fi like, not necessarily leading to a real song structure, but keeping the momentary inspiration on its own, in a true hippie soul fashion, but then much more vulnerable than in a usual hippie fashion, with moments that can show the loose aspects as well, without a taboo on having them. Maybe some of the fragmentary song inspirations were hashish inspired, with its strong direct associations but without leading necessary to more or something else that same moment. What is also rather unique is that Michael Yonkers here seems to have the best of a controlled personality that gets him to bring him to varied places, while the inspiration itself seems to act very much on its own, just like an 'outsider'. This outsider area gives the quality and an ability to overexpose the inner realities to individually developed measures, while the social personality here isn’t disturbed by that reality and is also able to take part of an active society and vision, and is in control of an ability towards participating, interacting, and responding, dedicating and directing the songs and expressions into this bigger context. Some of these songs in their short moments show beautiful worlds and words, but disappear as quickly as they showed up. The first couple of songs sound like some kind of testament, a goodbye, in soul and body, with words, as if the loner aspect is the part that makes necessary distances, only to act more freely. Within the recognisability of songs, but without the usual song structures (so without chorus lines), these songs are attractive and nicely arranged with guitar. At the same time most of them have each individually at least also some strange element, like fluting echoes, strange accordion arrangements, a sax-like droning whistle, some one tone-droning chord of keyboards, an incredibly strange outsider-like trumpet accompany. The stranger element strangle themselves into the songs as an interaction, as an inevitable part of them. Two songs are troubadour-like. The titletrack “Grimwood” to some degree reminded me a bit of the idea of the neo-pagan folk troubadour Gwydion in the woods, distinguishing himself as a master heretic with his vision, folk-music based in his expressions. On another moment, it was as if I could see a vision of Nick Drake, who was watching the sand dunes. Each of these visions, like inhabiting the characteristics of visions, they come and go quickly. “The Big Parade” has a nice duet in singing this time slightly like Simon & Garfunkel. “A thing called love” is very nice song ending the song circle. It is sung slowly with a baritone voice while a high tone string tremolo instrument plays (banjo-like) in combination with a more troubadour guitar. The song has another abrupt ending, without that it really disturbs, because what really had to be expressed was there. “The Answer” a bit before that might be the most experimental moment. It sounds as if here was used some tape manipulation, with a kind of wahwah vocal-effect of sounds, while a loop-like rhythm with some handpercussion rhythm is played on the guitar.
I can imagine that this album will surprise some people. There has been made more music with a portion of oddity because of an uncompromising individuality, but this album in fact is, in all its craziness, not disturbed at all, something which makes this of course much more distinguished.
