gastr del sol appreciation thread
 

Amazing.

Hit and miss.
I enjoy them alot, anyway. Is That a Rifle is an amazing song - for that matter, Crookt, Crackt, and Fly is a great album (as is Serpentine Similar).

Yeah, they're pretty awesome....I've always liked Gastr better than Jim's solo stuff myself.

i dont own anything but ive loved everything ive heard.

love serpentine similar

I second that. They're all good, I'm not sure which is my favourite - either Camoufleur or Upgrade & Afterlife.

I'm going through my once-a-year gastr loving stage.

After careful consideration, I've decided that "mirror repair" is my favorite work by them (coincedentally recorded by albini). The second song, that 9 minute one with the piano and the weird electronics is just amazing.

But, as far as a long player goes and a future "classic album" (since mirror is just an ep), "UPGRADE AND AFTERLIFE". My god. That album is almost nothing but acoustic guitar (with minor electronic accompanyments, drums in one song, some piano, and that weird noise part in the third track) but... it sounds exactly what you'd think a sad, lonely Kentucky afternoon would sound like. The fact that it's David Grubbs (from the intense and underrated Bastro) and Jim O'Rourke doing this stuff makes it all the more tantalizing to you, the sonic youth fan.

I'm just now dwelving into O'Rourke's solo shit (I'd heard a few releases before but I mean I'm checking out everything at this point), and while I prefer Gastr, some of this shit is GENIUS. Wow. Jim! This guy was IN sonic youth?! Haha. "I'm Happy and I'm Singing" is just unbelievable. Truely an inspiration to me, some of the best music I've ever heard.

But yeah.. GASTR DEL SOL!

For a long time my fav. band next to SY in the mid to late 90's... then David and Jim broke up... the post gastr david grubbs stuff to me isn't nearly as good, and most of Jim's post gastr recording i think were really good... Upgrade & Afterlife is my fav. album by them from start to finish and a wonderful cover of John Fahey...

First time I ever heard them was seeign them live around 1995ish they performed as a duo on acoustic guitars, then played in an ensemble of TOny Conrad's where they performed a the lengthy piece "Ten Years on an Infinite Plane" it was my first introduction to experiencing experimental and minimalist music live, up to that point i was very into indie rock and it was quite hard to digest! but enjoyable, thus begun my long winding road with this type of music.

i love serpentine similar

Upgrade & Afterlife is im my top 5 all time favorites. Our Exquisite Replica Of "Eternity" is pure genious. Jim O'Rourke stuff is amazing, as well David's solo/related stuff. Gastr del sol should be on the top list of "underrated" musicians, to bad i can figure out why people don't talk to much about them!? They have beautiful pop parts, subtle avantgarde/noise overturnes. Thay are amazing!

People probably dont' mention them much because they can't pronounce their name perhaps, heheh.

Truely excellent; I would also say "upgrade and afterlife" is in my top 5 or 10 albums ever.. I love Grubbs, Bastro was amazing.. Jim O'Rourke, constantly proving he is one of the most amazing musical geniuses of our time.

Sure, why not bump it?

I've decided:

1. Upgrade/Afterlife
2. Mirror Repair EP
3. Crookt, Crackt, and Fly
4. Serpentine Similiar
5. Camofleur

Though they're all excellent..

goddamn, so many gastr threads, so once again, 'upgrade and afterlife', which im listening to RIGHT FUCKIN NOW, is easily a contender for top alblum of the 90's, with 'loveless', 'spiderland', 'enter the 36 chambers', whatever, it is absolutley some of the most intricate and beautiful sounds ever put to tape. mr o'rourke, with all his great records and collabs and production jobs and accolades, has still not topped the brilliance of his first band. gastr del sol 4EVA BOIIII!!!!!

love them, great stuff, i love how they are halfway between perfect singer/songwriter and total out there songwriting. just amazing, all their songs start like they could go anywhere for as long as they wanted.

add fennessz, carlos giffoni, oren ambarchi, stephen o'malley, aphex twin, and madlib, then i second that claim.

and eye and merzbow

i wouldn't say that giffoni is a genius, sure, arrogance is pretty swell (although you can plainly see the influence of c.c.c.c.) but most of his stuff is spotty at best. welcome home is unlistenable self indulgence.

all i have is mirror repair.

watev, lets keep this about gastr del sol, shall we?

no.