jim o'rourke / albums

12,673 plays
4 SHARES
8 FAVS
1 fan

- Eureka
- - 2,894 plays
  - 0 favs
  - 0 shares
Jim O'Rourke
Released 1999

Ghost Ship in a Storm
03:54
297 plays

Something Big
03:13
269 plays

Prelude to 110 or 220/Women of the World
08:46
262 plays

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songs

- 1
- Prelude to 110 or 220/Women of the World
- 08:46
- 262 plays

- 2
- Ghost Ship in a Storm
- 03:54
- 297 plays

- 3
- Movie on the Way Down
- 07:37
- 194 plays

- 4
- Through the Night Softly
- 04:47
- 191 plays

- 5
- Please Patronize Are Sponsers
- 03:04
- 171 plays

- 6
- Something Big
- 03:13
- 269 plays

- 7
- Eureka
- 09:11
- 1,359 plays

- 8
- Happy Holidays
- 01:36
- 184 plays

album review

It's a good bet to expect the unexpected with Jim O'Rourke -- no matter which hat he's wearing (solo artist, bandmate, producer, remixer, etc.), each of the endlessly prolific projects that bears his name takes on a shape and identity all its own while retaining the originality and ingenuity that have become the hallmarks of his singular body of work. Eureka is perhaps his most stunning and surprising detour yet, a full-blown excursion into lush, melodic pop; granted, there's something inherently perverse about the very notion of O'Rourke and Chicago underground cronies like trombonist Jeb Bishop and cornetist Rob Mazurek tackling such classicist stuff, but instead the album is short on irony and long on affection -- in fact, its most subversive dimension is its very real mainstream appeal. What's most fascinating about Eureka is that its big, bright pop is actually the perfect showcase for O'Rourke's mastery of sound -- highlights like the epic opener "Women of the World" and a joyously schmaltzy cover of the Bacharach/David chestnut "Something Big" are crafted with remarkable care and depth, the former in particular building and blooming in truly majestic fashion. On a conceptual level, of course, it's easy to view Eureka as another in a long line of deconstructionist experiments, a reading more overtly avant songs like "Movie on the Way Down" and "Through the Night Softly" certainly bears out; on a deeper level, however, it's a true labor of love, and its sheer exuberance and creativity go further in re-shaping the pop aesthetic than any pure intellectual exercise ever could. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide