I Am Once Again Asking You to Listen to Ryley Walker

His second record of the year 'Course in Fable' is a culmination of his work so far

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It was only February when I last wrote a Ryley Walker review.

His live collaboration with Kikagaku Moyo was an early year favorite of mine. Though I try to review records with different backgrounds, Walker’s new album Course in Fable is too delicious not to discuss.

Course in Fable is the next natural step for Walker. After ditching the Llewyn Davis aspirations, 2018’s Deafman’s Glance found him successfully dabbling in psychedelia before releasing an entire cover album of Dave Matthews Band’s deleted The Lillywhite Sessions, which worked by Walker making it his own and not being “too DAVE”.

On Fable, Walker has mixed all phases of his career to creating an album that sounds Ryler Walker uniquely. His folk tendencies are still present throughout the record. Walker shreds with John Martyn’s virtuosity without being over-reverent, like in the song “Clad with Bunk.”

The experimental proggy jazz collaborations that Walker has released with Bill Mackay and Charles Rumback seem to be the most substantial influence on this record, which isn’t a surprise if you saw his live show for the last album. Each song is chock full of so many ideas and movements, pulling the listener into so many different doors, never letting a piece rely on a comfortable verse-chorus structure.

This is attributed to the team that Walker has surrounded himself with on the record, loaded with fellow Chicagoans. The aforementioned guitar whiz Bill Mackay is along for the ride, and there is no denying how wonderfully the two play off of each other. Andrew Scott Young, who played bass on Deafman and Lillywhite is also back. Still, his playing is elevated compared to those outings, with the opener “Striking Down Your Big Premiere” being my current favorite moment. Frequent collaborating drummer Ryan Jewell has a tall order on this record as he steers the ship through its constant time and key changes, and I’m looking forward to hearing his work on Rose City Band’s new album later this month. On some songs like the single “Rang Dizzy,” the group is joined by cellists Nancy Ives and Douglas Jenkins, who levitate the songs to heavenly levels.

The post-rock proggy jazz madness is taken to the next level by producer John McEntire, known for his work in Tortoise and The Sea and Cake. In addition to producing the album, McEntire plays synths, keys, and vibraphone, which pull Walker’s sound into new territory.

The largest area of growth is Walker’s voice. After recently hitting a year of sobriety, his voice sounds stronger than ever. There’s a confidence in his belt that may have been a mutter on previous efforts.

I don’t want to sound like a Berklee metalcore professor, but this is a comfortably challenging album that will have you listening to it on repeat as there is something new to discover with each spin. It’s an exciting and modern record that serves as a new mission statement for Ryley Walker as he reinvents himself yet again.

Course in Fable is available on Husky Pants Records.