Ryley Walker: Course in Fable (Husky Pants)

Ryley Walker’s most “Chicago” recording to date!!!

From Dusted’s Robert Ham:

“Recorded with Tortoise co-founder John McEntire and a handful of trusted collaborators, these seven songs drink deeply from the shimmering lake that fed the work of Walker’s prog rock heroes Genesis, filtering those waters through American roots-rock, the UK psych folk scene of the 1960s and 1970s and his own fried experimentation [...] 

There’s enough allure in Walker and guitarist Bill MacKay’s elaborate latticework of glazed melodies and modal chords that call to mind McEntire’s other band The Sea and Cake, and how drummer Ryan Jewell floats through it all with loose, jazzy flourishes. There are also plenty of details buried within these multi-layered compositions — percussion, electric piano, programmed drum loops and strings that further belie the songs’ deceptively freeform nature. While still featuring elements of unbound improvisation, as heard throughout the swirling ‘Pond Scum Ocean’ and the squawking guitar solo that rudely cuts through ‘On Axis,’ the album still feels like Walker’s most deeply considered work since his 2015 breakthrough Primrose Green.” 

Ryley Walker- Guitar/Vocals
Andrew Scott Young - Bass/Piano
Bill MacKay - Guitar/Piano
Ryan Jewell - Drums/Percussion
John McEntire - Engineer/Mixing/Synth/Keys/Vibraphone
Douglas Jenkins - String Arrangements/Cello
Nancy Ives - Cello