Customer Reviews

Chore of Enchantment

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Being way too tall for any self regulation/I'd invite the devil in and his entire nation/What in tarnation?"

So asks frontman Howe Gelb in "Raw," one of the seemingly countless American Beauties he's created in the service of examing yourself, lacerating yourself and laughing at yourself whilst whistling by the old graveyard. (Helpful hint: the devil and his nation are the guests that never leave.)

By turns funky, psychedelic and folksy, "Chore of Enchantment" touches so many emotional rails over the course of its languorous sojourn that you can't quite tell what's jolting you.

Its truths are harsh, humorous, ironic and frighteningly on target, from gum drop stains revealing an absent heart on "Astonished" to a drunken binge that reconnects lost nights with fearful days on "Way to end the day." When Gelb whisper-croaks, "Reinventing the unending day/in high isolation," you feel his protagonist's buzz of happy futility.

Sure, think Tom Waits. Think Yo La Tengo. Think Lou Reed. Hell, think Leonard Cohen or Neil Young (circa "On the Beach.")if you want.

Think all of them, then throw it all away, because Giant Sand practically reinvents pop minimalism. Just let the beauty, sadness and mystery of "Chore" envelop you. (I'm not much for serendipity, but how else do you attribute the nearly coincidental arrival of "Chore of Enchantment" with the Mekon's equally forlorn but illuminating "Journey to the End of Night"?)

Gelb and his crew have endowed us with something special and something stunning -- spiritual desolation has rarely sounded so lush and so damn true to the heart.

I'd read the accolades for this album after coming to Giant Sand via Calexico, and had a bit of trouble actually obtaining this album. On first playing I was disappointed (often the case with good albums), but after a couple more attempts I was seduced by its abundant and diverse charms. This is perhaps one of the best "country rock/alt. country" albums ever recorded. (Giant Sand's music defies clumsy categorizations). Certainly Neil Young is evoked by songs like 'Punishing Sun' or 'Shiver'- and "Bottom Line Man" could even be a mellow, cabaret-style Lou Reed. There's a breathy Leonard Cohenesque quality in "Dusted for the Millenium" and a touch of the sly Zappa croak in "Extra Wide"- but these associations merely enhance the appreciation of great songs that stand proudly and starkly on their own merit. Howe Gelb is no shallow, derivative musician creating a pseudo identity by modelling himself on others - he is one of those rare and inspired eccentrics who posess both a skewed outlook and a warm, open heart. With superlative, restrained musicianship and a wonderful economical spaciousness about the production, this is an album to keep coming back to again and again.

What is with all of these indie-legend bands making elegiac pop masterpieces this year? Must be the millenium... First Yo La Tengo with the masterful "and then nothing...", the Mekons with their stunning "Journey to the end of night"... and now, best of all Giant Sand's "Chore on enchantment"...

Can't really say enough for this record. I'm sure the handful of people who get to hear it will share my sentiments. It's a stone-cold masterwork. One of the best records in the last 20 years... blah, blah, blah... but alas, it's preaching to the choir. I couldn't even find this record in any local shop. I had to order it. How is anyone going to sell records if the stores don't even bother to carry them? Every store, the same line "yeah, that really doesn't sell so we don't carry it." How can you tell if it sells or not if you don't have it in the first place?

Sorry for that rant, but's it's just a crime that beautiful complex and challenging music like this is totally marginalized while throwaway junk-pop and rap/metal products are endlessly celebrated.

Folksy with dollops of electrics, full of melancholy wonder. There is a bit more of Calexico to the mix than previously. But compared to other Sand records ? I can't really think of these as individual records, more like a body of work. Chore did need a few listens for me to really open, but when it did.. it did. Beautiful and sad. There's movement back and forth, mostly forth, and in a roundabout way it does echo what was left behind, adding this and that to the sound & feel; nuances. And you need to pay attention, give concentration, and then let it wash all over you.. It's not too easy to describe, you really do need to hear it. But it is pure Giant Sand, no doubts.

If you're like me, you're bored to tears by at least 90% of what's being played on the radio these days, regardless of station. I'm always seeking something unusual, unique, something that goes beyond the narrow boundaries of category. And Giant Sand does it with this album. I chanced upon the free downloads here on Amazon and immediately bought the CD. If you're not a country fan, don't let the "alternative country" label scare you off. I'm not even remotely a country fan but I love this CD, which blends bits and pieces of so many musical styles it's hard to pick one out over another. And yet it all sounds very cohesive. This, I believe, is the kind of result you get when the people behind the music love what they're doing and have a passion for what they do, beyond any consideration of what's "commercial" or "successful".

Songs like "Shiver" could be played alongside songs by Train on the local "Alt/Top40" station. "Wolfy" would be at home on a playlist with Cake. Which isn't to say these artists sound the same, but only demonstrates the range you can find in this hidden gem. Do yourself and your cd player a favor and get this CD.

I bought this CD after being turned onto Calexico, hoping to find more of the same sound, and I was fortunate to trip upon the massive talent of Giant Sand. I can't believe they were able to mold this motley collection of abrasive sounds into an album I am sure I will listen to for a long time.

It takes a lot of work, but it is worth it. 3 or 4 listens to Temptation of Egg or Shiver will get you in the door, but there is much more. As with any classic, repeated listens bring more reward, and there is really something to find in every nook and cranny of this sprawling CD.

Old Pueblo music guru Howie Gelb has crafted a series of intriguing, cutting-edge albums with his group Giant Sand; "Chore of Enchantment" may be his best. It's hard to classify his music, but it does come across as a beguiling mixture of country and classic 1960s rock and roll (Think of Brian Wilson for example, but searching for the beauty of the Sonoran desert instead of nubile Californian girls.). When I lived in Tucson, Giant Sand was the hidden secret that had been lurking around, almost unnoticed for years, while The Mollys soared, trekked out from the Old Pueblo and conquered the world with their beguiling mixture of Mexican Norteno music, Celtic, bluegrass, country, folk and rock and roll. Without question both Giant Sand and The Mollys were among the best reasons why Tucson became a leading center of progressive, cutting edge country/folk/rock and roll; a position which Tucson still occupies thanks to Giant Sand's popular offshoot, Calexico. If you're a diehard fan of country and bluegrass music from Brooklyn, NY who thinks that Brooklyn is now the next new thing in bluegrass, country and folk music, then I strongly advise you to hear the excellent albums made by Tucson's best bands, and if you are objective, then you'll agree with me that Tucson remains light years ahead of anything being crafted now by musicians in Brooklyn's still nascent bluegrass/country/folk music scene.

Generally this isn't the type of music I go for. However, after a couple of listens, the steel guitar, delightfully crafted lyrics, and funky, minimalistic rhythms, won me over. Much to my surprise, this cd is my current favorite and I've signed on to Amazon this morning to buy other Giant Sand cd's. Of the sample audio tracks listed on this page I feel that tracks #2 & #4 give the most accurate view of the overall feel for this album.

This is the masterpiece we've been waiting for
from a group that churns out one uneven recording
after another. But this is beautiful. From its
evocative singing to its rangy musicianship.
Howe Gelb is one of those guys who feels the need
to record and release every waking moment spent
with an instrument; he is utterly lacking in judgment
and self-discipline. But on this, the fans get what
we've been hoping for for nearly two decades. Buy it!

People seem to think this is country music, but it's not. Well, maybe it is sometimes. I believe anyone with a creative taste for music will find something to like about this album. It's not ordinary music, and it's something you will probably treasure for a long time.