Mike Gordon Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
For his second solo album, Mike Gordon plays it a little straighter than his debut. The Green Sparrow is never as strange as moments of Inside In, favoring instead a set of easy rocking tunes that really flow nicely together. Aside from just a few full band cuts, Gordon handles most of the instruments besides drums but he executes so well you wouldn't notice unless you checked the credits. There's an easygoing vibe throughout, even towards the end where the subject matter gets slightly darker. Vocally, he sounds a bit like classic Steve Miller with a laid-back delivery and effortless melodicism that make these tunes breeze by, and of course there's plenty of tasty guitar and bass playing. Perfect for a summer day. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The second collaboration of Leo Kottke with ex-Phish bassist Mike Gordon finds the duo exploring breezy Caribbean sounds, with a few surprise covers. The musicians work wonderfully together, with Gordon's meaty yet malleable bass grounding and darting around Kottke's distinctive and agile fingerpicked lines. Percussion reinforces the island sound (the album was recorded at the famous Compass Point Studios in Nassau) and provides a terrific backbone for the album's tropical approach. Neither Gordon nor Kottke have great (or even good) voices -- the bassist's is particularly thin -- but they admirably dig into the songs, singing on about half of the tracks with a charming, easygoing quality that suits the material and shows they are enjoying this ride. "With a happy tune, anyone can become a singer" is a line from "Rings," an old Kottke gem revitalized here, and it fits the participants' scraggly style. Some tunes, such as Gordon's "Stolen Quiet," are so light and airy that they nearly float away. But they are saved by the stunning musicianship and often bizarre, stream-of-consciousness lyrics that veer between silly and thought-provoking. Hence, a few more instrumentals might be in order if there are future editions of this undeniably successful collaboration. Covers of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" and -- more astonishingly -- Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion" seem a bit out of place, but nonetheless provide the album with head-turning highlights. The latter works off a slinky, swampy, funk bass-driven groove that affords a terrific framework for both musicians' talents. Kottke goes solo on "From Spink to Correctionville" and reprises his own "Twice," a terrific tune that benefits from the Caribbean arrangement. Production from David Z., which keeps the spaces open, and nearly perfect percussion assistance from Neil Symonette are the less obvious pieces that combine to put this puzzle together so effectively. ~ Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
One would expect a down-home virtuoso performance from any alumnus of Phish, and that's what you get with Inside In. The album's essence lies in the relationship between the loose, improvisational feel of the performances, and the precise arrangement of diverse tracks into a single identity. When silence separates one from another, it's often to very dramatic effect, especially when positioned to contrast with an especially deft segue. For example, Michael Gordon's acoustic guitar grafts a fingerpicked feel over the slow-drag shuffle of "Soulfood Man," then accelerates into an amiable, country toe-tap on "The Teacher," without so much as a ripple in the groove. These velvety transitions set up a naked a cappella reference to "vomit" at the end of a comic monolog mumbled over dizzy diminished chords; this makes the equally abrupt finale into a recapitulation of sorts. Pictures of oddball characters emerge in lyrics that depict the Soulfood Man, the Teacher, and the Couch Lady as sketches, vibrant yet filled with space for the listener's imagination to fill. Instrumental moments range from straightforward, low-tech jams, which not unexpectedly emphasize interaction over chops, and abstract episodes marked by strange juxtapositions -- avant-garde jazz, straight-ahead funk, and country pedal steel on "Major Minor," or the pinprick staccato of Béla Fleck's banjo over a woozy trombone in "Steel Bones" -- that blend with uncanny ease. There's no better way to describe this weird and accessible mix: Inside In is far out. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk, All Music Guide
