Introduction
"City of Refuge" is a 1997 speculative album by popular American guitarist and composer John Fahey. Known for his unique fingerpicking method that combines blues, folk, American Primitive, and progressive music designs, Fahey is thought about among the founding daddies of American Primitivism. With this album, he stepped into a new territory that incorporated sound rock, commercial, and ambient components, developing a canvas of noise that was at once austere and fascinating.
Background
Following recovery from his epiphany-inducing quadruple coronary bypass in 1986, Fahey began embracing a darker, more experimental style in his music. Fighting with psychological health problems and battling a drinking issue, he found solace in the City of Refuge, a barren desert in Nevada, where he began to compose music that revealed his newfound spiritual awakening. This eventually emerged into the "City of Refuge" album, which captures the desolate and otherworldly aura of the desert while maintaining Fahey's signature fingerpicking style.
Track Listing and Overview
The album consists of 13 tracks, each showcasing Fahey's continuous expedition and reimagining of his musical landscape.
1. "Fanfare": This ominous opening track develops a sense of foreboding with its dissonant chords, minimalistic piano, and eerie winds.
2. "After the Ball": Lush in texture with a droning tremolo guitar, this performance of the classic 19th-century ballad transports listeners to a remote, melancholic setting.
3. "Dvorák": Layered guitar work fits together with threatening industrial noise, taking motivation from the famous author's work.
4. "City of Refuge Part 1": The first half of the titular piece prospers on discordant notes, droning feedback, and a loose structure that stimulates the desolation of the desert.
5. "City of Refuge Part 2": The 2nd half maintains the environment of the very first, with added aggression through heavy distortion and jarring, atonal riffs.
6. "Horses": An eery, ambient piece that captures the experience of galloping through the desert, surrounded by ghostly apparitions.
7. "On the Death and Disembowelment of the New Age": Fahey makes use of heavy distortion and electrical guitar to talk about the passing away New Age motion.
8. "You Can't Cool Off in the Millrace": A dark sonic landscape highlighting Fahey's raw and haunting slide guitar playing.
9. "Invocation to Buddha": A solemn ode to the spiritual figure, merging fingerstyle acoustic guitar with solemn tunes and droning notes.
10. "On the Rebound": A bleak and discordant piece highlighting the artist's struggles with dependency and recovery.
11. "Ice Age": A quieter, contemplative piece, utilizing sparse guitar playing to evoke the weight of the world in the throes of an icy, unforgiving winter season.
12. "Geometer of Dreams": A haunting track that combines distorted guitar and dissonant chords to produce a brilliant dreamscape.
13. "Iron Cross Man": A foray into loud, chaotic rock culminates the album, total with clashing cymbals and distorted guitars.
Reception and Legacy
"City of Refuge" has polarized both critics and fans due to its speculative nature and departure from Fahey's earlier works. Some praised its boldness and originality, while others discovered it a difficult listen and an indication of a troubled artist facing inner devils.
Despite the blended reactions, the album stays a crucial part of Fahey's diverse discography, highlighting his consistent reinvention and development as a musician. Today, "City of Refuge" is revered as a tough and bold work, showcasing a masterful artist's journey through hardship, desolation, and spiritual rebirth.
Artist: John Fahey
John Fahey, an influential American guitarist, composer, and musicologist. Explore his inspiring quotes and journey here.
More about John Fahey
