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Gastr del Sol | |
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| Origin | Chicago,Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Post-rock,experimental rock,math rock,avant-folk,drone |
| Years active | 1991-1998 |
| Labels | Teenbeat,Drag City |
| Past members | David Grubbs Jim O'Rourke Bundy K. Brown John McEntire |
Gastr del Sol (derived from a combination of the name of a race horse (Gato del Sol) and David Grubbs' previous band Bastro)[1] was an American,Chicago-based band, consisting for most of their career ofDavid Grubbs andJim O'Rourke.[2] Between 1993 and 1998 they released seven albums ranging in genre frompost-rock (the scene they were most associated with) tomusique concrète.
Grubbs, a former member ofSquirrel Bait formed the band inChicago in 1991 from the final line-up of the groupBastro, withBundy K. Brown andJohn McEntire onbass guitar anddrums respectively.[2] The trio released their first album,The Serpentine Similar, in 1993, ushering in a quieter, lessrock-oriented sound with the change of name. Brown and McEntire left to joinTortoise the following year, and guitarist/composer/producerJim O'Rourke joined.[2]
At this point Gastr del Sol became mainly a collaboration between Grubbs and O'Rourke, joined by an ever-changing collection of guests.[2] Though McEntire was no longer a full member, he continued contributing to many Gastr del Sol recordings and concerts.
Most releases by this line-up were on Chicago'sDrag City, beginning with the acoustic guitar-basedCrookt, Crackt, or Fly in 1994.[2] "Work From Smoke", the centerpiece of this album, fused Grubbs and O'Rourke's penchant for atonal guitar interplay withbass clarinet and Grubbs's increasinglysurreal lyrics.
A pair of releases followed quickly in 1995. TheMirror Repair EP added elements ofelectronic music.The Harp Factory on Lake Street, released on theTable of the Elements label, was their most experimental work, a piece for chamber orchestra with only occasional voice and piano from Grubbs.[2] Also in 1995, the band contributed the song "Quietly Approaching" to theAIDS benefit albumRed Hot + Bothered produced by theRed Hot Organization.
1996'sUpgrade & Afterlife included a would-be film score by O'Rourke, "Our Exquisite Replica of 'Eternity'", and an extended interpretation of theJohn Fahey piece "Dry Bones in the Valley" featuring guestTony Conrad on violin.[2]
With the release ofCamoufleur in 1998, Gastr del Sol progressed further into the realm of conventional melodies andchamber pop, creating their most accessible and popular album.[2] Its chord patterns, melodies, andflugelhorn and string-heavy arrangements prefigure O'Rourke's future pop releases. The album was co-written with Markus Popp, of the pioneering Germanglitch groupOval, who contributed to the electronic aspects of the album.[2]
AfterCamoufleur the band split up. Grubbs and O'Rourke have both continued to release albums under their own names in the fields of rock, pop, and experimental music.[2]
In 2024, Drag City releasedWe Have Dozens of Titles, a 3LP/2CD boxset containing various unreleased studio and live recordings made by the band between 1993 and 1998.
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