For your own special stringheart

Gordon Withers - Jawbox On Cello: A Benefit For Cal Robbins
Posted by Laila Hanson on 28-May-08 @ 03:50 PM

[3.5/5]
Barring cataclysmic variance in what's deemed "alternative," Yo-Yo Ma will never grace the cover of AP. But in a post-Apocalyptica landscape, when a cellist like Gordon Withers covers the collected works of a seminal post-hardcore outfit like Jawbox, we eagerly listen-especially when it's a benefit for Cal Robbins, the toddler son of Jawbox frontman J. Robbins diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Assuming you're not a chamber music connoisseur, a pre-existing knowledge of the 12 songs Withers culled from Jawbox's four albums is almost imperative. The cellist remains infinitesimally faithful to the originals with four-part arrangements illuminating the underlying complexity in tracks like "Reel" and "Iodine," while adding more classical reinterpretations of others-like the sweeping, Christopher O'Riley-esque reworking of Grippe's "Consolation Prize." Although Withers could have allowed himself to stretch boundaries into less regimented covers, there's nothing not to like-especially if you're looking to subliminally introduce your book club to the Jawbox oeuvre. (SELF-RELEASED) Tim Karan


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