By Becca Marx
The album All Important Artists, is an intriguing solo debut by the artistic chameleon J.W. Schuller. Whilst making the album, Schuller channeled his “inner toddler, having fun banging on drums, pieces of wood, load-bearing basement posts, etc.” The joy that came of its creation is plain to hear. Pair said musician with analog artist and Co-producer/engineer Michael Wisti (The Rank Strangers) of Albatross Studio, and the result is an ingenious record. I like to imagine that the album came to Schuller in a vision, but realistically it happened in “intense bursts of 4-5 long weekend (recording) sessions every few months, tackling a few songs at a time.”
Schuller has a voice evocative of Jeff Tweedy, and isn’t afraid to employ a unique treatment for each song, from anthemic dirge to indie-folk and all styles in between. The title track: “All Important Artists” is imbued with whimsical musicality and innuendo filled lyrics, reminiscent of The Beatle’s transformative song “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”.
Monthly nursing home gigs left Schuller with a changed perspective on existence, the goal being to live as fully as one can in the time that they’re given. A perspective that influenced all of the album tracks, including: “Camera Directions for the End of a Film About Your Life”, an acoustic tune of touching beauty.
Schuller’s mastery of creating a storyline within a song is evident on “Zelda’s Lament”, allowing you to bear witness the sultry dive into madness from the viewpoint of Zelda (Fitzgerald) herself. “Pull the Shade” is a lively love song drenched with emotion and well served by its skilled honky-tonk guitar stylings. One of only two non-originals on the album is “Let Me Call You Sweetheart”, on it Schuller’s vocal delivery begins delicately, but swells into a gritty Dylanesque plea.
Every so often, you happen upon music that you didn’t know you were missing, a kind of musical “aha moment”. All Important Artists is just such stuff, an original from beginning to end that occupies a space within your playlist that didn’t exist before. Listen to the album to explore what you’ve been missing, and find an important artist: J.W. Schuller.
https://jwschuller.bandcamp.com/
You must be logged in to post a comment.