DC Rocks, December 2015
Review of Gary Lucas & Jann Klose - "Stereopticon"This is quite an exciting collaboration that makes a lot of sense. Lucas is more the veteran creative songsmith and Klose the younger, though well beyond rookie status, singer songwriter. They both understand the trippier original aspects to song structures with Lucas’ resume bordering on unbelievable as he has worked with Beefheart, Peter Hammill, and Bryan Ferry, to name but three out of the dozens of amazingly original talents. He and Klose keep to the core in these songs with just voices and acoustic guitars, aside from a saxophone once. It has the feel of some of those excellent fingerstyle guitarists of old collaborating at the common starting point of the blues and then venturing out into their own trips and excursions into other musical territory. I would follow each of these artists separately, so together, well...try it and see.
Songs to start with first:
Secret Wings - Deep beginning smooths out into a sharp little song.
Jewel Julia - Spritely guitar melodies and a fine vocal line make the magic seem so simple.
Overture - Somewhere between Roy Harper and Tim Buckley, this one sends me into orbit.