On Fillmore
Extended Vacation - DEAD OCEANS
FILTER Grade: 82%

Wilco’s Glenn Kotche made his name with experimental, polysyllabic drumming and looping, fogging up the atmosphere of tracks with “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.” But Extended Vacation, his fourth album with bassist Darin Grey under the name On Fillmore, nudges its nose into a dream world of animal calls, twinkled vibraphones, stand-up bass and surprisingly little drum work. With Kotche’s vibes as its engine, the instrumental Extended Vacation moves along at a stately pace, never shifting in tempo and rarely in rhythm. Grey and Kotche stretch the found sounds and myriad instruments, pulling each out of their context until car horns sound like trumpets and birdcalls cries for help. The spacious production leaves room for the sounds (cackling laughter, radio fuzz, the ever-present vibes) to be themselves, resulting in dream-like suites that are at once familiar and confusing. And if there’s any narrative, it’s just that—the persistent feeling that something just ain't right.