Album Review: Bill Frisell — Guitar in the Space Age!
Bill Frisell – Guitar in the Space Age!
Here’s some free advice: don’t get into a discussion with a hardcore fan if you’re underwhelmed by their hero’s latest album. I made that mistake. Though the guitarist is widely revered for his work in countless styles, here he traffics in what I would have to call “easy listening.”
Frisell covers songs that have influenced him, and while he does so in note-perfect fashion, his arrangements are…inoffensive. Frisell’s playing can be mightily exciting when he wishes it to be; on this outing, that goal seems to have been far from his mind. Excellent for what it is, yet somewhat dull.
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About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, will be published in 2021 by HoZac Books.