Search - Lonesome Organist :: Cavalcade

Simple fact: while there are plenty of indie rock bands in the late '90s with one guy doing all the work, there aren't that many indie rock one-man bands. Enter Jeremy Jacobson, the Lonesome Organist, who takes sonic cues from the last hundred years of American music on his second album, Cavalcade. There's surf rock on "Balloon Race Phenomenon," ragtime on "Cranked Up Too Hard," garage rock on "Dirty Plight," and a ton of instruments--musical saws, tap shoes, keyboards, and horns--thrown into the mix. Recording live and without overdubs, the Lonesome Organist somehow manages to orchestrate tunes that defy logic and traditional song structures; most of the time he sounds like a carousel calliope in need of repair. By the time he reaches "Lap Steel," the 16th and final track, you'll be exhausted but impressed. If you've ever dreamed of hearing Tom Waits pounding away at a giant theater Wurlitzer, perhaps the Lonesome Organist is for you. --Jason Verlinde