ZACHARY CALE

When Zachary Cale describes his fifth album as “western,” he is not likely talking about the desert-dry plunk of cowboy guitar, or the fiddle-drenched waltz-time of Western swing or the lonely yodeling croon of anonymous workhands on a cattle drive. No, I think what he’s getting at is a Morricone-esque evocation of the west’s vast empty spaces, the way that light and shadow can play in surreal ways over arid landscapes, throwing a haze of mystery over even the plainest land formations.

Duskland plunges deeper into the drones and atmospheres that Cale began to hazard in 2013’s Blue Rider, layering a fog of mood and resonance over finger-picked architecture. The album, recorded with a full band, works on a larger, slower scale than his previous outing. It is less restless and rhythm-bound, more monumental and serene than Blue Rider.

Zachary Cale - The Living Room, Brooklyn, July 16, 2015

Hey! I wrote a bit about Zachary Cale’s great new LP, Duskland, over at Aquarium Drunkard. Here’s a recent live gig, very nicely recorded by NYC Taper’s Acid Jack, with a setlist full of new tunes. Oh and if you haven’t checked it out yet, Zach’s Lagniappe Session (with covers of Peter Laughner, Eno, the Stooges and JJ Cale [naturally]) is very much worth your time.