The new solo album from Jason Lytle, whiz behind Grandaddy, is called Arthur King Presents Jason Lytle: NYLONANDJUNO. The record, out on Friday via Dangerbird Records, is utterly unlike anything he's previously done, which is understandable given the release's intended use as a soundtrack to an art installation. It is, however, proof of the prowess of Lytle in the realms of electronica and ambient music, realms fairly far removed from the alt-pop worlds that his earlier band trod through.
"Hitch Your Wagon to a Falling Star" both throbs and pulses as it undulates forth, "Change of Address / 433 Eros" has a lot of menace about it, like something from a John Carpenter score. The "single" here, "Don't Wanna Be There For All That Stuff", is the only cut that really feels a tiny bit like something from Grandaddy. The chords recall slower numbers from the band, even as Lytle here, and elsewhere, ventures further afield than he's ever gone before. "Dry Gulched on Rodeo Drive" is space-y the way the score to The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) was, revealing little indications of a connection to the guy behind Grandaddy cuts, while closer "Headed to the No Light District" is even more abstract and vague. The track, full of faint keyboard figures and roiling, muted percussive elements, is hypnotic.
I realize that Arthur King Presents Jason Lytle: NYLONANDJUNO isn't for everyone, but it is of interest for fans of Jason Lytle and his progression from the earliest days of Grandaddy. Considering the intended use of this material, it makes sense that so much of this is so spacious and diffuse. And part of the charm of the record remains the moments where one can faintly hear a shift in chords that recalls something from the first few records from Grandaddy, only slowed to a crawl as time marches on.
Arthur King Presents Jason Lytle: NYLONANDJUNO is out tomorrow via Dangerbird Records.
More details on Jason Lytle via his official Facebook page.
[Photo: Jeff Hawe]