Where the world is began life when two old friends and their families sat down for a meal together.

I crossed the river was recorded that same night, interrupted by children playing and dogs barking, using a minidisc recorder and cheap microphone.

 

Five days later there were twenty more tracks written and recorded.

 

The plain truth is that it could all have been very different, perhaps an ambient synth driven landscape album, or a chamber record of piano and guitar.

Actually, it's an insight into the lives of cowboys. The bleak terrain, the loneliness, the hardships, the joys and the misunderstanding. Filled with words of wisdom from real working ranchers, surreal soundscapes, bitter sweet tunes, songs and fake radio transmissions, where the world is is the unique, aural equivalent of a National Geographic article.

 

2002 ogle10 - 200270

 

empty

corn dolly

pretty girl

heebadabadoo

little dance

the great divide

jug

letter from a liar

harmoniums

keep my pony

jalapenos

old dog

plain girl

lack 20

down the stair

I crossed the river

wine

snake skin boots

lonesome

harvest

 

All compositions by Roger Eno and Jon Goddard

Roger Eno

vocals, guitars, accordion and harmonium

Jon Goddard

vocals, guitars, banjo and resonator guitar

 

 

Roger Eno and Jon Goddard's first jointly titled dual project is a loving looking at the American West from the aspect of the mock cowboy who rode the range. Arrangements have been stripped down from lush orchestral backing to Dobro and accordian, offering an intimate tone for the collected short pieces (21 in all). The CD's opening cut, Empty is masterful acoustic duet that captures a bit of the outback in panoramic style. Banjo and mandolin are the instruments of choice on the rustic Corn Dolly that could have easily fit into a John Wayne western due to plaintive performance.  Little Dance is another lulling lullaby where Goddard's slide Dobro comes into play against Eno's foundation accordian. Narrative tracks (using fake narratives of former cowpokes) included on The Great Divide and Harmoniums portray life stories spent on the farm. Pieces range from scat like vocals on the goofy Heebadabadoo to lazy pastoral ballads such as Letter from a Liar. The duo sing together on one of the few vocal tracks on the album, Lonesome that rekindles images of the Sons of the Pioneers. Down the Stair is the closest the composers come to a down home blues shuffle, and you can almost hear the sunset on the disc closer as it all winds down with Harvest. On the whole, it's another rural success for the duo that seamlessly captures the climate of a forgotten time.