Sifting Through Jim O’Rourkes’s Unrivaled Drag City Catalog

Attempting to whittle down the story of multi-faceted artist Jim O’Rourke into a few paragraphs would be a disservice to the incredible life he has lived. Then again, not much is known about O’Rourke. The artist was born on January 18, 1969, in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from DePaul University, outside of those two facts all we have to go off of is the man’s music. Thankfully, there is no shortage of releases from the mysterious multi-instrumentalist.

O’Rourke is mostly known for his work behind the scenes, racking up an impressive list of collaborations during his career thus far. The list includes a tenure with Sonic Youth (1999-2005) and earning a Grammy for his production work on Wilco’s 2004 A Ghost Is Born. Before producing a full LP for Wilco, O’Rourke’s name appeared on the band’s seminal album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot as the credited mixer for the celebrated album. O’Rourke would go on to collaborate even further with Wilco’s frontman Jeff Tweedy as the two combined forces with drummer Glenn Kotche to form the psychedelic rock outfit Loose Fur. The list goes on and on as O’Rourke has made himself a sought-after studio companion for some of the most historic bands of the time such as Stereolab, Smog, and Superchunk to name a few. With his list of credits rolling out over the years, the question that begs to be asked is; what would his solo material sound like? 

Thanks to the good people over at Drag City Records, we have multiple answers to that question. Drag City and O’Rourke began their relationship in 1997 when the label released Bad Timing, a cinematic instrumental project that finds beauty around every corner. This began a fruitful relationship between the artist and the label as Drag City is now home to almost all of O’Rourke’s solo material, which doubles as some of his best work as well. They provided a platform for the mysterious artist who is never interested in anything outside of creating the best music the moment has to offer. In an attempt to better understand the man behind the music, Glide dived into Jim O’Rourke’s Drag City discography to tell the tale of an artist who never seems to rest. 

Check out our retrospectives on some of O’Rourke’s classic releases below: 

Bad Timing

Released: August 25, 1997

On his Drag City debut, O’Rourke crafted something of a masterpiece. The fully instrumental LP spans 45 minutes in a mere four songs but throughout its runtime, Bad Timing never feels rushed. There are moments of extreme lows that find solace in ambiance, twinkling guitar chords are plucked with the utmost care only to swell into full-blown folk hysteria. These songs thrive in syncopation, O’Rourke crafted expansive soundscapes that pass down this unspoken wisdom almost as if the answer to all your problems lay in between the album’s complex structure. Bad Timing set the tone for future releases from O’Rourke and Drag City, the artist finds comfort in the twangy convention as he sheds himself of the avant-garde title for a quick journey into instrumental euphoria. 

Eureka 

Released: February 25, 1999

This particular release from O’Rourke feels very introspective, cold, and at moments hopeless. Eureka has the artist combining his love for electronic production and his innate folk stylings. The album kicks off with a plea from O’Rourke as he views the future as bleak unless there is a shift in the patriarchy and he does so over soft guitar plucking. The themes of this album can only be summed up in one way: pessimistic beauty. Over a batch of arrangements that drift between hints of electronic ambiance (“Movie On The Way Down”) and pure bossa nova (“Something Big”), O’Rourke paints a bleak picture while still squeezing in moments of undeniable beauty. 

Halfway To A Threeway

Released: November 22, 1999

On his only EP for Drag City, O’Rourke’s storytelling takes a darkly entertaining turn. Halfway To A Threeway has the artist combining his first two releases by mixing his innate songwriting abilities with expansive instrumentals that toe the line of convention. While said instrumentals fall right in line with O’Rourke’s prior work with Drag City, it’s the lyrical content of this EP that makes it stick out so prominently in his discography. On the title track, the artist pens a strange story about life, death, and odd coping mechanisms. On a surface level, the song tells the story of someone caring for a sick loved one and the feeling of joy as they inch closer to their irreversible demise, a strange concept to dive into but when O’Rourke tasked himself with the idea he went all in. Juxtaposing gentle guitar plucking adds a level of intimacy that is borderline unsettling considering the nature of the song. Those opposing styles become one on Halfway To A Threeway as the artist paints vivid pictures over meticulously layered melodies that achieve so much with so little. 

Insignificance 

Released: November 19, 2001 

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This release from O’Rourke and Drag City sees the artist finding an edge to his gentle creativity. The album kicks off with the neck-breaking rhythms of “All Downhill from Here”, a classic rock-tinged track that dips into moments of acoustic solace. The structure of track one laid the groundwork for the rest of the LP as the tracklist bounces between a somber melancholy and a full rock onslaught. Songs like “Good Times” has O’Rourke dipping back into his love of folk while moments like “Therefore, I Am” find the artist sharpening that newfound edge that makes Insignificance such a bold release for O’Rourke. In just seven tracks, O’Rourke puts his wide range of talents on full display as the LP features a plethora of fantastic moments. 

Tamper

Released: May 20, 2008

Arguably one of the more challenging releases from O’Rourke’s entire discography, Tamper has the artist finding his footing. The album was originally recorded around 1991 and features O’Rourke experimenting with pure noise. Tamper couldn’t have a more fitting name, the album consists of O’Rourke toying with the idea of ambiance and drone music as he pieced together three extended instrumental pieces that use silence just as much as they use music. Ear-piercing notes are held for an excruciatingly long time but underneath those moments is a young artist who isn’t afraid of attempting anything. O’Rourke created a loud, complex album that might not be your go-to release from his Drag City discography but still shows the early stages of an artist who will go on to reimagine himself as a renaissance man. 

Long Night

Released: August 19, 2008

When Drag City began handling the catalog of Streamline Records, there was no telling what sort of releases was going to come out of it. Long Night was originally called Steamroom 27 and was recorded around the same time as Tamper. The album was recorded in one sitting during a strenuous overnight session from O’Rourke’s early days and is structured similarly to its sister LP. The album uses a similar drone style playing to Tamper except for this time around, the artist seemingly discarded the idea of what music can be and reshaped it as his own. For over two and a half hours, O’Rourke dives head first into the underappreciated genre known as drone. Much like when he began toying with folk on Bad Timing, he took classic tropes from the genre and stretched them to their furthest extent. Long Night may just appear as white noise when you press play but once again we find O’Rourke’s creativity in its infancy as he traverses drone music with a confidence that shines through the album’s challenging structure. 

The Visitor

Released: September 8, 2009 

O’Rourke’s first release of new material through Drag City since 2001’s Insignificance is a return to his roots. The Visitor is 40 minutes of instrumental placed on one track, giving the album a more free-flowing structure compared to his previous work. This piece of music plays more like a movie than an LP, the twists and turns of the arrangements feel cinematic as O’Rourke pairs his finger-plucking style with some larger-than-life drum patterns. The Visitor feels like a more mature attempt at Bad Timing, instead of allowing the instrumentals to swell up and hit a sonic high, O’Rourke created a piece of music that swirls into itself to create something that feels never-ending. The passage of time has not only revealed a more mature artist, but one who refuses to settle as O’Rourke’s musicianship and creativity find a new way to express itself by looking back at the past. 

Simple Songs

Released: May 19, 2015

Simple Songs is another properly titled release from this label and artist duo as O’Rourke’s most recent release through Drag City is his most straightforward to date. The artist combined his love for grandiose production with his unique approach to songwriting to create an LP that doubles as a victory label for the man behind the music. This album feels like O’Rourke proving to everyone (including himself) that he is more than capable of having both feet planted firmly in convention while still keeping his head in the clouds to tap into his otherworldly talents. Every song on the album has its tone while still flowing together with ease, making for a listening experience that explores the full spectrum of human emotion. The tracklist features moments of innocent sadness like on “These Hands” while still allowing itself to have some fun like the whimsical arrangement on “That Weekend”. Simple Songs might refer to the structure of the 8 songs presented but the emotions expressed through said songs are anything but simple as O’Rourke crafted a gorgeous going away present for Drag City in the form of an album that flows gracefully. 

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