The Coincidentalist
is
Howe Gelb
's first solo album since 2011's
Alegrias
, and his debut for
New West Records
. In 2012, his ever-evolving
Giant Sand
issued the sprawling "country rock opera"
Tucson
, which marked his return to the desert after spending most of the previous decade in Denmark. Self-produced,
is a mostly low-key affair with a stellar mix by
John Parish
. As has been his M.O. for most of the last three decades,
Gelb
enlists a fine cast of co-conspirators: longtime bassist
Thoger Tetens Lund
, former
Sonic Youth
drummer
Steve Shelley
,
M. Ward
on lead guitar, and the
Silver Thread Trio
(
Gabrielle Pietrangelo
Laura Kepner-Adney
, and
Caroline Isaacs
) on chorus vocals.
plays acoustic and electric pianos, guitar, and chimes. The guest list is impressive, too.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
duets with
on set-opener "Vortexas." His warbling, soft croon juxtaposes perfectly with
's laid-back, deep baritone, underscored Rhodes piano, slithering guitars, a cooing,
Leonard Cohen
-esque backing chorus, and
Shelley
's rolling lounge bar shuffle. A winding pedal steel (courtesy of
the Mekons
'
Jon Rauhouse
) floats in between
's piano lines in a melodic yet arid, first-person morality tale.
KT Tunstall
trades verses with
and their voices are perfectly suited to one another -- especially coming together in the refrain. The title track walks a series of lines between country, age-old AM radio pop, mutant flamenco, and mariachi, with
Andrew Bird
contributing a fine violin solo. "Running Behind" is a warm, exotica-tinged country love song with just enough reverb on the vocal, and a fine jazzy guitar solo by
Ward
, to make the tune sound as if it were recorded in a different era. There is real tenderness, as well as confusion, humor, and wry observation on
;
's clearly inspired by the past as well as the present and puts it all out there in an intriguing, quizzical, even iconoclastic way. "An Extended Place of Existence," recorded with
in Spain, is a philosophical tome disguised as a love song, where country, early rock & roll (a la doo wop), and 21st century sonic experimentation balance each other out and sum up many of the albums themes.
is one of
's most realized efforts; despite its relaxed, airy presentation, it's musically and lyrically provocative, as poetic, strange, and mysterious as the desert itself. ~ Thom Jurek