I first encountered the music of Gastr del Sol on a Teen-Beat Records compilation. To say the tune stood out would be an understatement. The modest exploratotry nature of what Gastr del Sol were doing in the Nineties was at odds with the muliple genres bubbling up in the alternative and college rock worlds. It was stark and minimalist at times, jazzy and far-ranging at others. Centered around (primarily) David Grubbs and Jim O'Rourke, the work of Gastr del Sol was in sore need of a re-appreciation. Thankfully, Drag City felt the same way so prepped this compilation.
We Have Dozens of Titles collects nearly two hours' worth of rare and previously unreleased live performances and studio tracks from Gastr del Sol to form a superbly rounded picture of the strengths of this band. The rhythmic inventions of "Quietly Approaching" sit nicely next to the jarring juxtapositions of "At Night and At Night", while the final stretch of this compilation is given over to longer pieces like "The Harp Factory on Lake Street", a highlight here. Nearly an album unto itself, the song veers between a soundtrack-like sense of silence and mood building, before vocals and piano enter and bring things into territory decidedly ECM-like. I never felt like Gastr del Sol were being as borderline pretentious as some on that jazz imprint however, because Grubbs and O'Rourke and crew always seemed to be seeing what could be taken away as much as what could be played. It's not so much minimalism here as it is precision.
On the epic pieces, like "Onion Orange (Live)", a case can be made for Gastr del Sol's place as masters of a form of post-rock every bit as vital as stuff from Slint and Tortoise (a band featuring Gastr del Sol member John McEntire). But I'm more drawn still to the smaller instrumental rumblings of Gastr del Sol. These brief etchings suggest a lineage with acts as disparate as Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Durutti Column. David Grubbs and Jim O'Rourke so thankfully ignored current trends while they were recording this stuff, that everything here has a sort of timelessness about it. Contemplative in spots, and nudgingly inquisitive in others, We Have Dozens of Titles is the perfect sort of collection as it makes a listener want to go out and get, or re-listen to, everything the band in question has already released. So after this one, there's a whole new generation of Gastr del Sol fans coming.
We Have Dozens of Titles by Gastr del Sol is out now via Drag City.
[Photo: John McEntire, David Grubbs, Bundy K. Brown, Jim O'Rourke by Guy Dove]