Manishevitz
Grammar Bell and the All Fall Down
Jagjaguwar
These things come easy to Adam Busch. He was, at one point, part of the Curious Digit, which may mean something to somebody, but until I go back and locate those releases, I’m afraid I can’t say much about it. Everything about this album keeps pointing to one steady certainty, that Busch is one very calm, content individual. Or by playing music, he reaches that state. One or the other. In trying to describe what this guy sounds like, I regretfully think of David Berman. Not that I don’t like how Berman sounds, it’s just that Busch sounds nothing like Berman. They simply ascribe to a similar school of singing, but rather than say “my favorite singers couldn’t sing” Busch might say something like “my favorite singers are really old and growing tired of singers who can’t sing.” His songs reflect a mind full of subtle complexities and strangely beautiful ideas that few people either care to experience or even notice. Some words are so cautiously chosen that it sounds as if Busch is constructing answers to questions and barely speaking them before the next chord.
Jagjaguwar, 1703 N. Maple St., Bloomington, IN 47404
