Nugent, Cian

Nugent, Cian

Night Fiction

Woodsist

***CHECK STOCK!!! Received a 7.3 rating from Pitchfork. Night Fiction is Cian Nugent’s third proper album but his first taking on the role of singer-songwriter. Where his previous two (2013’s Born With The Caul and 2011’s Doubles) explore extended guitar-based instrumentals with his band, The Cosmos, here he reigns things in and focuses his songwriting skills. Guitar fans, do not fear—there is still plenty of soloing and fingerpicking here. Comprised of both solo and full-band material, Night Fiction amalgamates everything Nugent has done up to this point and reveals a more broad palate of influences, including The Velvet Underground, Richard Thompson, Television, Neil Young, John Lennon, Fred Neil, etc.  Put to tape over a week beginning on Valentine’s Day 2014, Night Fiction was recorded in Bow Lane Studios in Dublin with Daniel Fox (Girl Band) and mixed by Brendan Jenkinson. The album’s seven songs include solo ventures as well as full-band recordings featuring David Lacey on drums, Conor Lumsden on bass, Brendan Jenkinson on organ and piano and Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh on viola. The vibe here is familiar yet refreshing and a logical progression for Nugent.  “I’ve always been impressed and inspired by Cian’s guitar playing; now on this album he brings his voice and stories to only expand that brilliance.” —Steve Gunn

Nugent, Cian

Grass Above My Head

Vhf

Cian Nugent’s lovely follow-up to 2011’s much acclaimed Doubles album presents two short solo acoustic turns—one original, and one Black Flag cover.  “Grass Above My Head” is a wistful, fingerpicked, South Dublin coastal lovesick blues. In contrast to the two ambitiously complex side-long tracks on Doubles, “Grass” is simple and elegant, full of just-so chord changes that make all the right references to the genre classics.  In contrast, the truly unusual assault on Black Flag’s “My War” is a knot of edgy picking, starting with an abstracted take on Greg Ginn’s naggingly dissonant intro and rapidly moving into a hypnotic variant that suggests an entirely different kind of blues than the A-side. Truly one of the weirdest (and best) Flag covers of all time.

Nugent, Cian

Doubles

Vhf

Doubles, the first widely available release by Irish guitarist Cian Nugent, showcases a major talent in the audacious setting of two side-long epics. Clearly inspired by the Takoma classics and the recent generation of greats (Jack Rose, Glenn Jones, etc.), Nugent delivers a pair of perfectly formed takes on the classic steel-string sound, one (mostly) unaccompanied, the other an expertly arranged full-band throw-down.  “Peaks and Troughs” is a slow-building solo piece in the style of Fahey’s “Fare Forward Voyagers,” with each part perfectly connected to the previous. Nugent has ample technique, but the virtuosity here is all in service of the mood and the build-up. His guitar has a darker, more intimate sound than many current players, without the brittle ring common to fingerstyle. The emergence of a deep drone after fifteen minutes shakes up the track, like a swarm of bees spilling out of the speakers. In contrast, “Sixes and Sevens” is a percolating jam in the style of Jim O’Rourke’s classic Bad Timing LP, with Nugent’s steel-string riding an inventive wave of drums, organ, viola, woodwinds and brass in an ambitious, filmic masterpiece. The main tune of the song is instantly memorable, building momentum before a subdued interlude that resets things for an elegant, orchestrated finish.