Locd20 - Jeffrey Bützer - She Traded Her Leg

Bio:

Behind the largely self-taught American musician/composer, JEFFREY BÜTZER’S command of an impressive array of instruments (piano, glockenspiel, guitar, drums, xylophone, bass, banjo, autoharp, ocarina, melodica, accordion, harmonica…and the list goes on) lies an even greater penchant for experimentation and a deep appreciation of a wide range of musical styles. Seeming at first like a jolly dose of gypsy or circus music, his debut album with Lona Records, She Traded Her Leg quickly strikes a chord with its particular brand of percussive lo-fi minimalism tinged with cinematic overtones. And while such ‘baroque’ leanings may seem, to the uninitiated, as the unfocused wanderings of a musician with his finger in too many pies, it is only necessary to hear the play of melodic lines in tracks like “Wooden Giraffe” and “Broken Blunderbuss” to appreciate the uniqueness of Bützer’s musical voice. In the second half of the album (named “One Hundred and Sixty Three Black Bubbles”), things gradually start to take a more introspective turn, with the insertion of gamelan inspired rhythmic elements, violin and autoharp noises; culminating in the longest track of the album “Her Body is a Swamp”. From the circus to the heart of darkness—Bützer’s genre-defying album is hard to beat for its playfulness and sophistication.

FOR FANS OF YANN TIERSEN, PASCAL COMELADE, KLIMPEREI

Influences: Jeffrey’s love of European cinema led him to the composers: Michael Nyman, Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone. Other artists that have influenced his work include: Tom Waits, Harry Partch, Captain Beefheart, Nick Cave, Kurt Weill, John Zorn, Moondog and Edith Piaf. Gypsy, musette, jazz and surf music have also contributed to his unique sound.

All music written by Jeffrey Bützer
Except “Hoodwinked” written by Jeffrey & Melissa Bützer
Photos by Melissa J Bützer

TRACKLISTING:
01. She Traded Her Leg
02. Piper Cub
03. Rabbit Catcher
04. An Eskimos Dream
05. Hoodwinked
06. Wooden Giraffe
07. A Narrow Pit
08. Dendrobium
09. The Scrivener
10. Tarred and Feathered
11. Carbonated Sewing Machine
12. Valse 1
13. Lucy's Theme
14. Broken Blunderbuss

One Hundred and Sixty Three Black Bubbles
15. part 1
16. part 2
17. part 3
18. part 4
19. part 5
20. part 6

21. Her Body is a Swamp
　

Review:

Jeffrey Bützer's debut release for Hong Kong-based Lona Records is an interesting blend of street performer waltzes, minimal avant-garde doodling and soundtrack-like ditties. Influenced by the deceptively simple and subtly moving film scores by minimalist composer Michael Nyman (The Piano) and Fellini sideman Nino Rota, Bützer's songs, which typically clock in at about the two-and-a-half minute mark, sound as if specifically composed for a series short films. The album is split into two distinct halves; the first 14 tracks reminiscing of the French pop of Yann Tiersen (best known to us Americans for the Amélie soundtrack) and the second half featuring two longer songs (on of which is broken into six parts) that drift into instrumental experimentation. The first, more appealing half finds Bützer mostly arranging bright melodic percussive instruments like xylophone, glockenspiel, piano and ocarina over elastic accordion waltzes. The tracks are short enough to not wear on your nerves and frequently conjure images of French street performers and the colorful circus acts of the 40s. 'One Hundred and Sixty Three Black Bubbles' and 'Her Body is a Swamp' on the other hand rarely find any sort of recognizable melody as Bützer strums hauntingly on his autoharp over meandering xylophone totters and heavily reverberating something or another. She Traded Her Leg is definitely an interesting album for those of you that like to dig under the surface for odd fissures in pop music. --- audiversity.com