Red Mosquito

I'm going to take the initiative and run with LMS's idea.

The Natural Playmate is, so far, the only album by the Toronto duo Nightjars (Jason Benoit on 5-string banjo and Eric Chenaux [now based in Paris] on electric guitar). The album is the final release on Chenaux's Rat-Drifting record label, and unless some small shop in Toronto has any copies in stock, the only way to obtain a copy is by contacting him directly.

I mentioned the album before in the "Now Playing" thread, shortly after I received it. In the nine months I've owned it, it's become a dear favorite.

Comprised of fourteen tracks, only two of which pass the five-minute mark, the collection has a way with weird, wandering melodies and surprising textural explorations. It is not often a bright, upbeat album, but it is not sad or moody, either. Perhaps playfully wistful is an apt description.

For anyone who's interested, here's the album: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B67XL ... k1mTHR3UnM

Down in the spoiler, I've posted the tracklist and the front and rear covers. Yes, the one that looks like the back is actually the front. That was part of Rat-Drifting's aesthetic.

Spoiler: show

Nightjars - The Natural Playmate

1. The Spanish Italian
2. The Classy Tina
3. The Don't Burn the Lady
4. Sweat and Candy
5. The European
6. The Liberty Special
7. The Mary Independent
8. The Pierce
9. The Spinning Knee
10. Looking Ruby
11. The Busty
12. The New Miss
13. The Joyce
14. The Natural Playmate

Front cover:


Back cover:

Enjoy!

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Brett I have been meaning to dl and listen but time gets away. Hopefully tomorrow.

LetMeSleep wrote:Brett I have been meaning to dl and listen but time gets away. Hopefully tomorrow.

No worries; get to it when you can. Though I must say, it will be interesting to see another perspective outside my own, the single review, and the obscure 'press release' that I've found.

Checked back in on this thread while listening to The Natural Playmate again. Just wondering, LMS (or anyone else), did you have a chance to check out it yet?

I listened to it after a night shift which is probably not the ideal mindset.

Honestly, it pissed me off quite a lot. The dissonance was unsettling and it felt forced. It is a style I will never understand or appreciate. It did however remind me of the David Rawlings solo on Time (The Revelator) which initially I found off putting but quickly grew to love.

I will try this album again but I have no doubt it won't do anything for me. Sorry Brett, this is one album I don't get.

Trag, I was hoping you would be one of the people to check this out, since I figured you'd probably have something interesting to say about it. I can see "Sweat and Candy" being attractive to those new to this kind of stuff. It's certainly the most jaunty tune on the album.

I'm honestly a bit surprised that you both mentioned dissonance as a defining characteristic, because I've never felt it to be all that disharmonious. Perhaps it's because music with ample dissonance is such a large part of my diet (so I've been told, anyway), that I don't take note of it unless it's particularly prominent. Even so, I've always heard it as a bit awkward and stilted, but never unpleasant. I suppose being a fan of Eric Chenaux and the community of musicians he works with goes a long way towards creating an attachment with this music for me. It's also interesting that one of you finds it "authentic" and the other "forced."

Finally, no need to apologize, LMS. I certainly didn't expect that anyone would like this in the same way that I do, but I was curious to see how others would react to it.