Liverpool, the latest album from guitarist Shane Parish, collects seven interpretations of sea shanties, though one wouldn’t necessarily glean this insight through listening alone, as the pieces are delivered sans vocals. But those with full awareness of the source inspirations might still find the contents surprising, as Parish plugs in for the record, with results that defy expectations without straining for the eclectic. If there is a lack of obviousness in Parish’s approach, he remains true to the spirit of the material. The album is out March 4 on 140 gram vinyl and compact disc through Dear Life Records.
Shane Parish has been quite prolific over the last seven years, both solo and in collaboration. In 2015 he released his solo debut, the cassette Odei on Marmara Records, followed the next year by the CD Undertaker Please Drive Slow through the Tzadik label of John Zorn. A handful of additional solo efforts have arrived since, right up to 2021.
His collabs have featured such heavyweights as drummer Frank Rosaly (the Labrys cassette on Cabin Floor Esoterica, 2016), guitarists Tashi Dorji (the Expecting LP on MIE Music, 2016), and Wendy Eisenberg (the Nervous Systems LP on Verses Records, 2019), and percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani (the Live at Static Age Records cassette, with double bassist Zach Rowden, on Astral Spirits and the Interactivity CD on Cuneiform Records, both 2020).
More recently, there are releases with bass clarinetist Jason Stein and drummer Danny Piechocki (the External Link cassette on Trouble in Mind, 2021) and fellow Athens, GA guitarist Michael Potter (the limited edition lathe cut 7-inch “Live at the Crow’s Nest” on Feeding Tube Records, February 2022); in addition to the noted physical formats, nearly everything listed here is available digitally through Parish’s Bandcamp, including eight full-length releases by the Ahleuchatistas, his long-running and reliably excellent prog-punk band that’s been active since 2003.
Liverpool offers a solid blend of Parish solo (frequently multi-tracked) and in duo with multi-instrumentalist Michael Libramento, with whom he’s recorded before (under the moniker Few More Days, with the Live at the Mothlight cassette on Marmara Records, 2017); here, Libramento (who is a member of Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, amongst other credits) plays drums and percussion.
They are both heard on opener “Liuerpul,” which begins in an abrasive, almost industrial noise mode before shifting into a calmer, yet still vaguely ominous, rock pulse that’s a bit reminiscent of Pink Floyd, but with more Germanic glide. For the next track, “Black Eyed Susan,” Parish initially goes it alone (Libramento enters roughly halfway through), though it often seems like there are three guitarists in the mix. There is a bluesy undercurrent, but also playing that brings to mind Sarah Lipstate of Noveller.
“Eliza Lee” is a short but satisfying dose of full-bodied electric fingerpicking, segueing into “Banks of Newfoundland,” where the foundational sea shanty sounds like it’s being interpreted by a disciple of Robert Fripp. And then “Venezuela” brings the Southwestern twang, and after Libramento enters, it works up a sweet groove. But if there’s a showcase for Parish’s skills as a sonic architect on Liverpool, it’s “Randy Dandy O,” with its intertwined cyclical beauty moves.
“Haul Away” is a slow builder with a rock edge a la “Liuerpul,” while “Santy Anno” finds Parish at his most exploratory as he gradually gets worked up into an almost Bill Orcutt-like lather. “Rio Grande” closes the album with glistening, meditative atmospherics that, partly through a gradually emerging rhythmic pulse (one of the record’s recurring motifs), never falters into the overly tranquil. It reinforces the rewarding breadth of Liverpool, which finds Shane Parish in strong, inspired form throughout.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
