All Hits: Memories

Album review

All Hits: Memories is the first solo release by Australian drummer Jim White, best known as a member of the majestic instrumental rock group Dirty Three as well as a frequent collaborator with Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Cat Power, Marisa Anderson, and countless others. Mostly comprised of brief, fragmentary pieces, the album showcases his creative drumming techniques, sometimes multi-tracking his rolls and brush strokes, adding minimal keyboard accompaniment. Unfortunately, much of the album feels tentative and sketch-like, suggesting that he works best with artists interested in developing more structured compositions. Co-produced and partially co-written by Guy Picciotto (Fugazi), the pieces feel like warm-ups or sporadic improvisations. "Percussion Build" has some trippy phasing effects and sounds cool for the minute it's playing, but the following "Marketplace" just sounds like a scattered mess. "Soft Material" is one of the few tracks that's allowed to stretch out, and it's a more atmospheric mood piece with pattering drums that crash in at the right moment. "Names Make the Name" is more hypnotic, with layered drum eruptions and a few jarring edits over a subdued keyboard bed. "Long Assemblage" is five minutes of unaccompanied drumming, and while it teases a rhythm with clicking hi-hats, it ends up falling into free space. Too many other tracks just meander and stumble around without adding up to much, and the whole album is over in 24 minutes. Jim White is undoubtedly a masterful musician, but All Hits: Memories never quite gets off the ground, and it feels like the type of record that might be of interest to fellow drummers but will have limited appeal for anyone else.

© Paul Simpson /TiVo