James Orr Complex is the solo project of Glasgow musician Chris Mack (Eska, Maxton Grainger), who has played numerous shows since the mid 90's under the name including supports for Mogwai, Television, Chris Brokaw and Tara Jane O'Neill. He has released one 5 track EP (entitled
Figa) through Rock Action Records, which contained the excellent song
Slip Into Slumber.
Chori's Bundle is the first full length LP for the project, comprised of tracks recorded over the course of 2002 and 2003.
Chris Mack's distinctive guitar playing style is complimented well on most of the tracks by understated vocals, with a few other instruments making an appearance for variety (drums in
Free Harmony, keyboard in
Fade Grey To Fade Blue) while
The Good, The Bad & The Indifferent,
Misa Jocula and
O Conde are instrumentals that showcase his excellent style of fingerpicked guitar. The vocals, when present, are delivered clearly without being overbearing, and the lyrics are very much worth listening to - interesting, original and far removed from the typical acoustic-pop fare that many singer-songwriters dispense these days; one thing that the record makes abundantly clear is the original voice and direction that Chris Mack brings to his music, if you are into the style, or even if you aren't, it is something that you should have a listen to.
The songwriting and especially playing on this record are of a very high standard, with a personal favourite being the song
Fade Grey To Fade Blue, which takes a more relaxed approach to the guitar work and presents instead a beautiful song that focuses primarily on his voice and lyrics, complimented with a simple keyboard melody. Another highlight of the record for me is the fingerpicking in the second half of
The Fox, The Falcon & I. Then there is also the track
Same City, another song focusing on vocals and lyrics while toning down the guitar work - a subtle song that provides a change of pace from some of the faster and more technical playing on the record. It is tracks like this that really lend the album strength as a body of songs - maintaining a balance between showing off technical and creative ability, and there is plenty of both to go around. There are tracks that showcase the strength of Chris Mack's playing as well as his writing.
In terms of content and length, the album is well balanced. Chori's Bundle plays for just over 35 minutes over its 13 tracks, 3 of which are instrumental, 1 featuring drums, and the remaining 9 comprised of guitar and vocals. The songs are brief for the most part, with only 3 of them lasting more than three minutes.
This is one of the most unique and interesting albums in my collection and an excellent example of just how much one man can do with little more than a guitar and vocal cords. Whether or not you are already interested in this kind of music, it is something worth checking out just in case (if you find musicians like José González interesting, then that is a good sign you may enjoy this).
There's no question as to the talent involved here, but as with all music subjectivity will have the final say for everyone.
