News

Brokeback (featuring Douglas McCombs of Tortoise) return with epic travelogue Illinois River Valley Blues out via Thrill Jockey Records

January 19, 2017

John Sturdy

Brokeback return with
epic, wistful travelogue

Illinois River Valley Blues

Out 24th February on Thrill Jockey

Brokeback is: Doug McCombs (Tortoise, Eleventh Dream Day); James Elkington (Tweedy, Steve Gunn); Pete Croke (Exit Verse, Tight Phantomz); and Areif Sless-Kitain (the Eternals)

or lead by guitarist/bassist Doug McCombs (Tortoise), Brokeback’s Illinois River Valley Blues stands as one of his most sumptuous and personal offerings to date. Inspired by his early years growing up along the Illinois River corridor between Peoria and Chicago, Illinois River Valley Blues stretches McCombs’ eternal fascination with the roots of American guitar music in bold new directions.

Though the inspiration is McCombs’s, the execution is wholly a group effort. Illinois River Valley Blues comprises the same instrumentation and mostly the same lineup as 2013’s Brokeback and the Black Rock, with Jim Elkington (Tweedy, Steve Gunn) moving over from drums to guitar, but this time around Brokeback have opened their doors to close friends and collaborators. Cover art was shot by the band’s Thrill Jockey labelmate Sam Prekop (The Sea and Cake), while side one of the album closes with a moody, meditative take on ‘Spanish Venus,’ a ballad written by cornetist and sometime Brokeback collaborator Rob Mazurek.

With polished production courtesy of McComb’s Tortoise bandmate John McEntire (Stereolab/ Yo La Tengo), Illinois River Valley Blues is a winding, wistful travelogue that not only captures darker textures, but mines their depths.

Illinois River Valley Blues will be released on 24th February, and will be
available on CD / LP / DL

PRE-ORDER FROM THRILL JOCKEY NOW:
www.thrilljockey.com/products/illinois-river-valley-blues

Brokeback – Illinois River Valley Blues
Out 24th February via Thrill Jockey

Available on LP / CD / DL 1. Ride Ahead And Light The Way For Me
2. Cairo Levee
3. The Canyons Of Illinois
4. Andalusia, IL
5. Spanish Venus
6. On The Move And Vanishing
7. Rise, Fernanda, Rise!
8. Ursula
9. The Strollers’ Memorial
10. Night falls On Chillicothe

Brokeback on:
Facebook

You Might Also Like

No Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.