JIM O'ROURKE

JIM O'ROURKE
EUREKA (1999)
320 KBPS

It's a good bet to expect the unexpected with Jim O'Rourke — no matter which hat he's wearing (solo artist, bandmate, producer, remixer, etc.), each of the endlessly prolific projects that bears his name takes on a shape and identity all its own while retaining the originality and ingenuity that have become the hallmarks of his singular body of work. Eureka is perhaps his most stunning and surprising detour yet, a full-blown excursion into lush, melodic pop; granted, there's something inherently perverse about the very notion of O'Rourke and Chicago underground cronies like trombonist Jeb Bishop and cornetist Rob Mazurek tackling such classicist stuff, but instead the album is short on irony and long on affection — in fact, its most subversive dimension is its very real mainstream appeal. What's most fascinating about Eureka is that its big, bright pop is actually the perfect showcase for O'Rourke's mastery of sound — highlights like the epic opener "Women of the World" and a joyously schmaltzy cover of the Bacharach/David chestnut "Something Big" are crafted with remarkable care and depth, the former in particular building and blooming in truly majestic fashion. On a conceptual level, of course, it's easy to view Eureka as another in a long line of deconstructionist experiments, a reading more overtly avant songs like "Movie on the Way Down" and "Through the Night Softly" certainly bears out; on a deeper level, however, it's a true labor of love, and its sheer exuberance and creativity go further in re-shaping the pop aesthetic than any pure intellectual exercise ever could.

1. Prelude to 110 or 220/Women of the World
2. Ghost Ship in a Storm
3. Movie on the Way Down
4. Through the Night Softly
5. Please Patronize Are Sponsers
6. Something Big
7. Eureka
8. Happy Holidays