I picked up the Music On Vinyl release of “Seeing Things”, the 2008 solo effort from Jakob Dylan. It is just as good as I remember – remarkable even. This was his first solo work out of only two; followed by 2010’s “Women + Country”. This is an intimate, well produced, adult record. He is making art here, not looking for pop success. Clearly, it didn’t find him because no one talks about this record.
It begins on a dark note with “Evil Is Alive and Well”, and I question it’s placement. Surely, some people didn’t listen beyond it – its not a bad song, but its a grim introduction. The record (taken in total) is very uplifting and joyful – it never gets this bleak again in its 38 minutes. Even the songs about war and loss are tempered with a wistful beauty.
The production is just exactly what I miss about modern music: it has just enough. Its generally just Jakob’s voice, his guitar, a soloist and (often) female backing vocals. It was trendy, even trite once to make a “stripped back acoustic” record–but now, I definitely miss it. That it was Rick Rubin is even more surprising as it isn’t his normal style, but it was the right decision for these songs.
On this “limited edition green vinyl” pressing: its very good. Its quiet when it should be and has good dynamics. I assume none of this stuff was recorded to (or sourced from) tape but that’s not really the point. Something about this format makes an intimate album like this, just a little moreso. This one is worth the extra effort.
Essential tracks:
“On up the Mountain”
“Valley of the Low Sun”
“War Is Kind”