Fake Jazz review of "The Well of Memory"
"The Well of Memory" The thriving American outsider music scene has been well detailed within the alternative press over the past year. Borne forth from collaboration, shared tastes, and the simple need to find new and expansive means of musical expression, this mindset has taken on many names (usually depending on whatever source is writing at any one time)—most typically the "new weird America scene" after the titular Wire article—and many more public faces. While many a member of this current movement owes a strong debt to the modern pioneers such as Pat Gubler for helping to set the tone that they are all building from today, the beauty of this scene is the fact that they all reverently praise those that have inspired them. It is difficult to avoid those who would even try to deny that Gubler's work as a member of the Tower Recordings is anything but seminal. That band's output provided a needed burst of improvisational encouragement to musicians, both active and latent, who shared their the love of folk music past, as well as the desire to create modern works that matched that sort of intensity and focus. In the wake of the collective nature of the Tower Recordings albums, Gubler has taken personally a similar approach to his own recordings under the name P.G. Six. The first release under that title, 2001's Parlor Tricks and Porch Favorites, saw Gubler combining modern instrumentation and musical approaches with folk sensibilities in a more singularly focused manner than was allowable when working with so many other musicians in Tower Recordings. The latest P.G. Six album, The Well of Memory, is the product of a considerable time of recording. Gubler continues to hone his craft while also tentatively exploring some new ground as a (largely) solo artist. From the album's very beginning, Gubler's songwriting and instrument choices announce that this collection of songs is going to be a listening experience that is focused on surprise. "Well of Memory, Part I" opens with the jangling and somewhat alien sounds of a wire-strung harp. The tones produced by the harp and open and largely uncluttered. Each relaxed strum is given ample time to spread out and breathe. The strums slowly convert over into plucking and a more conventional harp playing style, while the low hum of electronics creates a pleasing drone that perfectly complements the harp's resonating tones. The second movement of this title track (the album's penultimate song) drops the harp focus found in the first movement and centers itself around an almost hypnotically droning electronic pulse. If played in isolation from one another, comparing these tracks to the weighty traditional folk of "Old Man and the Mountain" or the stark a cappella of "Evening Comes" seems to make no sense at first. These sorts of sounds are so contrary on their face that they almost seem contradictory. But the individual elements of both of these song styles so beautifully combine and become one on "Considering the Lateness of the Hour." Upon first listen, it becomes apparent how all of differences on the album are actually extensions of the same musical idea. Gubler's talent for bringing these seemingly disparate sounds together into a cohesive whole is crystal clear. While most albums would suffer if they tried to combine these sorts of definitively electric ambient sounds alongside old-time banjo picking, a small part of Gubler's genius is found in the amazing way he can make the transition and flow between the otherworldly trance found in the album's first track into those sorts of sounds on "Come In/The Winter it is Past." It is breathtaking how effortless this song shifts from banjo to vocal harmony and lastly into a guitar-driven ballad while never stumbling, even for a second. The Well of Memory would be worth of purchase if it only contained this one majestic song. The Well of Memory is an album that reinforces Pat Gubler's standing as one of the most talented and unique voices within the realm of modern day folk (and folk-inspired) music. His voice as a songwriter is unique and there are numerous aspects of his songs that remain with the listener for quite some time after playing the album. The new album excels in many distinct areas - the fascinating fragments of melodies, the incorporation of/expansion on traditional themes and songs, inspired and well-assembled instrumentation - it is difficult to narrow the album down to any one singular defining moment. Simply, this is what modern American pastoral music sounds like. Let The Well of Memory serve as a measuring post for future albums within the genre.
— Bob Bannister