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David Udell — It's Worth It
(Bandcamp no#, 2024, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2024-07-07

It's Worth It Cover art

In the early 80s David Udell was  a member of the five-piece band Earwacks in the Saint Louis area, which later changed the name to Wax Theatricks; two LPs were produced in 1980 and '81. He also collaborated with Carl Weingarten and Gale Ormiston on the 1981 album Submergings (using the pseudonym Phil Neon) and then went on to join the instrumental avant-prog group Delay Tactics with Walter Whitney and Weingarten in time for their second album Any Questions? in 1984, and made several appearances on albums by Whitney, Weingarten, and Joe Venegoni, but then disappeared from the music scene for well over twenty years until his first solo album, Orchids, in 2015. Delay Tactics reformed, releasing a new album in 2022, and now It’s Worth It is the long awaited follow-up to Orchids. The ten-track album features catchy and clever songs with vocals and encompasses a wide range of styles, with thoughtful and incisive lyrics. Udell plays all manner of guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, trumpet, percussion, and more, but the album also features a dozen or more guests including Whitney (modular synth on two cuts), Weingarten (slide guitar on one), Dominic Schaeffer (ex-Wax Theatricks) playing saxes, keyboards, and vocals on various tracks, Margaret Bianchetta (vocals and flute on various tracks), Mike Long (drums on several), and several more. The opening track “Watching the Freak Parade” is a pointed commentary on the society we have created, the line “This could be Utopia but just look at this mess we've made” didn’t go unnoticed; it’s a good rocker that starts the album off well. Other thought provoking songs include “Our River” and “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Rain” and of course the title track that begins with “Is It Worth It?” then segues into the experimental piece “Unexplored Expanses” featuring found sounds and odd voices, and then comes back to “It’s Worth It” to close out the album. “Slow Song” features both Weingarten and Whitney, plus strangely processed vocals and loops that give it a unique sound like no other. With It’s Worth It Udell has taken another bold step forward, one not to be missed.

Filed under: New releases, 2024 releases

Related artist(s): Carl Weingarten, David Udell

More info
http://davidudell.bandcamp.com/album/its-worth-it

 

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