Jim O'Rourke

51,676 listeners (587,834 plays)

indie, experimental, indie rock, mellow, soul… see all

American indie rock and avant-garde musician, composer and producer Jim O’Rourke has been a key component in the increasing overlap of the American and European experimental music avant-garde, working in everything from jazz and rock to ambient and electro-acoustic and building many a bridge in between. A Chicago native, his work has found equal luck with experimental jazz and noise fanatics, chill room denizens, and bedroom experimentalists, and has had the resultant effect of cross-pollinating many otherwise isolated compositional communities. Dealing most often with prepared guitar in improvisational group settings, O’Rourke has also released a fair bit of material as a soloist, although more often in the electro-acoustic/musique concrète vein. He’s collaborated with such contemporary improv heroes as Derek Bailey, Henry Kaiser, Eddie Prevost and Keith Rowe (of English improv group AMM), KK Null, David Jackman (Organum), and early krautrock experimentalists Faust. O’Rourke is also engaged in an ongoing exploration of experimental rock as a member of Gastr Del Sol, who’ve released albums through the Teen Beat and Table of the Elements labels.

Beginning with guitar at the age of 6, it wasn’t until his collegiate career at DePaul University that O’Rourke’s interest in the less obvious possibilities of the instrument led him through the early catalogs of the post-classical and electro-acoustic traditions. While at DePaul, O’Rourke completed much of the work that would constitute his first few releases.

1	Ghost Ship in a Storm	311
2	Something Big	165
3	Good Times	146
4	All Downhill From Here	145
5	Insignificance	140
6	Movie on the Way Down	127
7	Get a Room	117
8	Through the Night Softly	114
8	Eureka	114
10	Life Goes Off	110
11	Halfway to a Threeway	109
12	Memory Lame	100
13	Happy Holidays	95
14	Please Patronize Our Sponsors	91
15	Therefore, I Am	89

Top Albums

Eureka
Jim O'Rourke
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Insignificance
Jim O'Rourke
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Halfway to a Threeway
Jim O'Rourke
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Bad Timing
Jim O'Rourke
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ralebol wrote:
yesterday afternoon

http://www.lastfm.fr/group/Kevin+Drumm

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Mario_Tennis wrote:
15 days ago

Thanks Ghost_Train, some excellent videos.

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tomauty wrote:
18 days ago

women of the wooorld take over!

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fdfdfdfsffs wrote:
25 days ago

awesome. thank you ghost train!

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Ghost_train wrote:
28 days ago

jim is not dead and he's playing songs from the drag city records : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij15QcGkuTw

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Tile-music wrote:
last month

'halfway to a threeway' was based on the love we used to share when we lived on the isle of white together. heady summer days. never forget you james.

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handmeups wrote:
last month

Is he protecting the headphones from his greasy hair?

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SallyKolchine wrote:
last month

The album Bad Timing is absolutely perfect.

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Mario_Tennis wrote:
last month

Bad Timing!

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-------- wrote:
last month

love love love Eureka. one of the best albums ever... and not very appreciated by critics.

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frujo wrote:
last month

I don't listen to him enough...

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bruno__________ wrote:
last month

too good

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Monte_Davis wrote:
June 2008

Oh my...Mizu No Nai Umi rules...alot. The live version is such a beautiful drone peice. This man makes some of the best music I swear.

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theeviltenor wrote:
June 2008

anyone know any deets on the new record mentioned earlier this year?

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csmeatwad wrote:
June 2008

i love love liza :)

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Brian_F wrote:
May 2008

Halfway to a Threeway is amazing.

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tiudinka wrote:
May 2008

there is sth in the piano that reminds me of Yo La Tengo, cuz there is a piano in his music right? ;)

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kawasekun wrote:
April 2008

Someone watched the movie 'Love Liza'?

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Ghost_train wrote:
April 2008

no concerts nowhere actually.

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bearberni wrote:
April 2008

no concerts in europe?

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Recent Activity

BrokenRhythm, Philokalon and patxi123 added Jim O'Rourke to their libraries. 1 hour ago
ralebol connected Jim O'Rourke to the group Kevin Drumm. yesterday afternoon
HexApparatus, jane_blue, mcmasles and 6 other people added Jim O'Rourke to their libraries. Wednesday evening
kanema666 tagged Jim O'Rourke with ‘post-rock’ and ‘indie rock’. Monday evening
simon_thomas, parnuder, Svexel and 2 other people added Jim O'Rourke to their libraries. Monday evening
mirandason tagged Jim O'Rourke with ‘jim’. 8 days ago
J0CK1, Celdridge, krugulitis and 9 other people added Jim O'Rourke to their libraries. 8 days ago
jailhousefrog tagged Jim O'Rourke with ‘experimental’. 11 days ago
sinebroe, cekanor, dully9dully and 3 other people added Jim O'Rourke to their libraries. 11 days ago
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