We’re excited to announce this in-store show with William Tyler. We love his records and his work with Silver Jews and Lambchop–among others. His new record, “Impossible Truth,” has been getting tons of play in the shop since it came out a few months ago. Come to the full show at Lamar Lounge the night before and then come see him at the shop on Saturday. We’ll have both of his solo records for sale…plus some free beer!
Here are some reviews of William Tyler’s latest record, “Impossible Truth,” out on Merge Records:
“Impossible Truth is Tyler’s second richly satisfying and absorbing record of solo guitar in three years. His finger-picking offers a lovely, rangy meditation on the power of the good old open-string drone, and if you listen closely, you can hear his searching intelligence animating every note.” -Pitchfork (read full review here)
“Tyler’s finger plucking and textured songwriting take the listener back to the heady days of Laurel Canyon and the almost never-to-be-repeated group of songwriters from this era—Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joni Mitchell, Gram Parsons, Neil Young, all are invoked through the music of William Tyler as he takes on an exploration of this mythic place, but he invokes them very much in the present, for Tyler is no mere purveyor of nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. Rather, he understands the past, is sympathetic to its heritage and reimagines it for the present.” -PopMatters
“For years, Tyler has been playing alongside people with discerning ears and differing needs: Will Oldham, David Berman, Candi Staton, Kurt Wagner, Rhys Chatham. And though he’s mastered a dizzying number of instruments and styles and modes, he’s at his best when he moves to erase differences in vocabulary — when he sounds free.” -Spin (9/10 review)
“As with many instrumental albums, much of the pleasure here comes from letting your imagination run wild as Tyler lulls you into his sepia-toned world. While it’s fun to think about the books Tyler references in the song titles and explore his personal website, where he’s shared a mix of influences and revealed that the album’s title actually comes from an Albert Brooks short film of the same name, the album’s greatest assets are its mercurial qualities. Whether he’s softly plucking away or spinning a complicated web of chords, Tyler’s music is transportive in the sense that it can offer an escape from just about anywhere: a busy street, a crowded train or a quiet, empty room. What’s interesting is that the brunt physicality of his playing, the twang and popping of the strings, keeps you grounded even as the songs point to the sky, leaving you on the precipice of transcendence, caught between worlds. He wouldn’t have it any other way.” -CMJ
