Fingerpicker Shane Parish has an appreciation for roots music of all sorts. With the attention of art-rock royalty such as John Zorn and a range of collaborations keeping him busy, he has nevertheless found time to put together a new solo album, Repertoire, which includes a deft cover of Aphex Twin’s “Avril 14th.”
Richard D. James’s 2001 album Drukgs split opinion, but looking back its Disklavier tracks prefaced Steampunk and Bardcore, even if some critics suggested that he was, in the style of The Producers, trying to produce an unlistenable album to break a record contract. “Avril 14th” was the biggest “hit,” a self-consciously rich sound where the electric movements of the programmed keys underlaid a textured piano sound. This has made it a go-to track for musicians, film and TV makers, and (in my experience) buskers on community pianos in city centers, who want to express musical depth and introspection.
Parish eschews programming and overlays and fingerpicks solo on acoustic guitar. His take is immediately more upbeat than the original. The beauty of the tune is the apparent simplicity, with underlying complexity, which suits the mood that Parish is aiming for. The concept for his new album is to summarise 20th Century avant-garde music for an audience that has never heard a guitar. In that context, the single is an excellent contribution to a thankless task, but an enjoyable one.
