Bill Meyer
Published December 28, 2004

On Fillmore
Sleeps With Fishes (Quakebasket)

Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche's unfailing taste, technique and discipline serve him well on the third album by On Fillmore, his occasional project with bassist Darin Gray. The two men use vibraphone and acoustic bass to render airs so delicate they could come out of a music box. Beneath the tunes lie layers of riverside field recordings and subtle electronic manipulations. On "Asagi," rushing water enhances the dreamy atmosphere, but a buzzing outboard motor nearly capsizes the melancholy air of "Taisho." The tension between live instrumentation and carefully arranged sound design creates emotional complexity without compromising the record's fundamental accessibility.

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