2005 seems like an eternity ago. George W. Bush was president, YouTube was an unproven upstart, and Tom Cruise was frantically jumping on couches for reasons that remain unclear to this day. 2005 also marks the last occasion upon which the wonderfully eccentric musical dyad of Phish bassist Mike Gordon & acoustic guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke performed together in public, which included an extensive coast-to-coast fall tour as well as the release of the pair’s second studio album, Sixty-Six Steps. Since then, Mr. Gordon has stayed busy with Phish, in addition to his solo projects, while Mr. Kottke has continued his perennial string of legendary live performances, leading many fans of the tuneful twosome fearful that this collaboration was but a distant memory in each of the musicians’ minds. Thankfully, those fears were abated earlier this year with the surprise announcement of the duo’s third studio album, Noon.
Recorded earlier last year in both New Orleans & Vermont, Noon finds the pair traversing markedly darker waters compared to the more lilting island-infused sounds of Sixty-Six Steps, yet manages to do so without weighing down the listener. The record’s eleven tracks feature a healthy mix of reworked material from each of the musician’s respective solo careers as well as a pair of unique covers: a haunting version of the Byrds “Eight Miles High” (previously recorded by Kottke in 1971 on “Mudlark”, albeit with a much more frantic arrangement) as well an innovative take on Prince’s “Alphabet Street.”
Kottke originals such as “Noon to Noon” and “Sheets” showcase the guitarist’s raw and emotive vocal stylings that are at times eerily reminiscent of Johnny Cash while the intricate instrumental “Ants” features multiple distinct & delicately composed sections, not unlike so many classic fugue-like Phish compositions from the band’s formative years.
Gordon’s three original contributions also hold significant water as a well-curated trio of laidback versions of tracks regularly performed with his own bands. “I Am Random”, the newest of the bunch, and “Peel” both adorn a more subdued vibe, with the latter featuring hauntingly beautiful vocals from Gordon on a track typically sung by solo-project-bandmate Scott Murawski. “How Many People Are You” is similarly performed at a more comfortable pace compared to Phish’s hard-driving version, and also features a notable lyric alteration apparently made at Kotke’s behest. (“I heard you hate the Buddha but you preach all the teachings of Zen” was changed to “I heard you hate to sleep but your eyes are closed“)
The record is further bolstered by a welcome appearance from Phish’s Jon Fishman on five tracks, including a reworked version of Kottke’s classic “From the Cradle to the Grave”, from his 1972 album Greenhouse, on which the drummer’s additions arguably make this the superior version of the two.
Gordon and Kottke retain and showcase their prodigious musicianship atop a hat full of tricks and expected cleverness this go around. Fifteen years is certainly a long time to go in between albums, but Noon makes it abundantly clear that the wait was well worth it.
