James Elkington once confessed, “There's a master plan that somebody understands/And I wish it was me.” And yet, the British-born, Chicago-based guitarist has always played like someone who knows exactly what he's doing. His penchant for tasteful flourishes has led to collaborations with artists such as Jeff Tweedy, Joan Shelley and Richard Thompson, while his adventurous ear and graceful melodies have benefited a diverse cast of experimental combos including Eleventh Dream Day, Tortoise and Brokeback . But on his solo albums, including 2017 Wintres Woma and 2020 Ever wandering eyeElkington has presented himself as a songwriter rooted in the impressive mold of classic British folk rock, filling each with songs you could share with the autumnal gold of Pentangle and Fairport Convention.
After his release Ever wandering eye, Elkington envisioned his next album as a collection of instrumental guitar solos. But as the work unfolded, he hit a wall. Approaching his 50th birthday and dissatisfied with his labor of progress, he began to wonder what other territory he might explore, looking, as he puts it in the biographical notes, to “paint myself out of the corner I had painted. in.” So Elkington abandoned the project and began each day by recording a new improvisational piece, abandoning formal composition in favor of looseness and unfiltered ideas drawn from his subconscious. The result is Me neithera record that enhances Elkington's impressive folk with quixotic touches of British sound.
Opener “No-Shows” sets the tone with an acoustic guitar melody that rings out with bells and echoes that act as ersatz percussion. From there, Elkington exudes fuzzy guitar and the noise of a train roaring down the tracks. It's a fitting welcome to this altered space as Bert Jansch sits in with Broadcast. Further surprises unfold in quick succession: the undulating waves of static distortion in 'A Message for the Janesville Kings'; nearby chatter, gurgling water and birdsong in the jazzy “Look Spectral!”. something that sounds like bicycle spokes being spun in “Cup Cape”. These extra touches create an air of expansiveness, a sense of the world these songs inhabit. The outside finds its way inside.
