Back to the Future Visions with Mr. Wilson

Well hello there. It's sure been a while, now hasn't it? Turns out that making the moniker of this site even more true than it already was managed to steal away the majority of my review writing time. But now that the little man is here I have been immensely enjoying the task of finding anything and everything I can play to soak his infant brain with soothing sounds, just like the inimitable TJ Leverett did with me long ago. If only there was an album that melded the world of sounds I heard as a newborn some 30 odd years back with that of today...

I'll assume George Michael Bluth is on the left.

Jonathan Wilson has surely been well known for a long time by those in the California area with the good sense to enjoy the shit out of great music. I didn't become acquainted with the mans work until a few years back when a good friend of the blog, Uncle Sauce, threw his name my way. Tantalizing me with the fact that he had produced Dawes stellar debut North Hills, which happened to be one of my favorite albums, I bit. After diving into his past work and liking what I heard, I was anxious to see what he came up with next. Little did I know what brilliance there was in store. He released Fanfare late last year (and even managed to sneak into the #2 spot on my top ten list despite its short time in my rotation) and it's been stuck on repeat in my little world ever since.
The album starts with the title track, an homage to the work of Phil Spector, Todd Rundgren and George Martin and a stark reminder for anyone not paying enough attention that this guy is a producer of the finest ilk. From there it bleeds into "Dear Friend", a winding, breezy jam that stretches out with a jazzy solo highlighting his fantastic guitarsmanship. With enough noodling to satisfy the most fervent lo mein fan, it's seven plus minutes never drag as everything is given space to breathe and percolate.
Lest one think he's lost his way down the winding hippie road of yesteryear, "Love to Love" is a mind-numbingly perfect piece of California pop that would make his heroes proud they learned to play. There has yet to be an instance in my life when putting it on in the car doesn't make the sun a little brighter and the sky a little bluer. The bass choogles along while the guitar tone in combination with Mr. Benmont Tench tickling the ivories touches a place in my soul that's usually reserved only for women.
But then there's what comes next. Good lord does "Future Vision" deliver. An orchestral, harmonic opening combined with a simple acoustic strum and highlighting his vocal delivery gives way to some of the funkiest damn funk I've ever had the pleasure to groove to. If you don't immediately break into the wondrous disaster that is awkward white boy funk dancing the minute the beat drops I'd be willing to bet you are no longer the owner of a functioning pulse. And in case that wasn't enough and you feel like elevating things to a little higher ground, there's a layered, backward guitar solo that I'm still trying to wrap my various lobes around. This is why they invented the repeat button.
Things don't cool down from there either. "Moses Pain" is another beautiful folk tune that slowly turns into a rollicking jam before the Eagles even have the chance to notice they missed the opportunity to record it. "Cecil Taylor" reminds us all how great Nash and Crosby still are, not by trotting out old artists past their prime, but by showcasing the amazing abilities they still have. Following that up with "Illumination" does wonders, putting me in the fuzzed out headspace of what the world may have seemed like in 1975 when Uncle Neil Zuma'ed us deeply with "Danger Bird", only if he let his bandmates stretch out a little more. It's as fine of a five song stretch as I can remember.
I've always been a sucker for horns and his cover of Sopwith Camel's "Fazon", a raunchy sax fest, manages to stay true to the original while stretching its wings at the same time. "New Mexico" lulls you into a false sense of calm before a driving drumbeat enters, paving the way for a flute that has rarely sounded so menacing. Another personal favorite of mine though is "Lovestrong", a modern version of the sound Pink Floyd strived for on a daily basis. Ethereal vocals glide over a haunting piano and subtle strings before giving way to a Gilmour-esque solo that is only trumped by the absolutely killer work by Mr. Tench on the keys after time change. Their interplay is a tribute to the fact that these guys have worked together, jammed together and downright brought the funk together on multiple occasions before.

Actual photo from the moment he recorded the "Future Vision" funk break down. God
thanked him by giving him his halo early.

Being a father now has brought all the wonders one can imagine, while at the same time bringing new challenges by the day (like brutally having to make the clearly correct, but none the less painful decision of missing the chance to see Wilson live). One of the things I'm looking forward to the most though is sharing with my little man the pure joy of music that just has that special kind of connection words can't do justice for no matter how hard you try. If I'm really lucky, I'll have the opportunity to share that bond with him like I do now with my own dad. If not, at the very least I'll enjoy the shit out of trying.