Eat the Worm

by Jonathan Wilson

Overview

Eat the Worm, singer/songwriter/producer Jonathan Wilson's fifth studio album, is a showcase for a musician seeking to liberate himself from things he already knows. Since releasing Dixie Blur in 2020, Wilson has been busy producing for other artists (Father John Misty, Billy Strings, Margo Price) and serving as Roger Waters' guitarist and music director. He also encountered the songs of Jim Pembroke, a British songwriter who moved to Finland, fronted Wigwam, and issued a handful of weird, wily solo albums. They seduced Wilson with their experimentation and strangeness; they simultaneously focused and distracted him. He began curating home-recorded demos, instrumental ideas, and fragments to foment new creations, he combined old lyrics and wrote new ones in seeming non sequiturs. While different from what he's released before, it bears enough of his signature to indelibly reflect his persona. Wilson plays most instruments here, but also enlisted some guests. To be honest, Eat the Worm really feels like Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman writing, recording, and drinking heavily in a late-night studio session. The lyrics are voluminous and framed by loopy, expansive production. Opener "Marzipan" comes across as warped, vintage Brit-pop if it was written by Tom Waits and performed by Blur. "Bonnamossa" (yes, it namechecks the prolific blues guitarist) sounds like a psychedelic sea shanty with skittering synthetic beats, pillowy guitars, vibes, and strings. The humorous "Hollywood Vape" reflects the musical legacy of Laurel Canyon with a quiet, dreamy melody and acid-drenched production. "The Village Is Dead" is a string-laden rocker that channels music in the East Village from Cafe Wha to Jimi Hendrix to Stevie Ray Vaughan to jazz. The dreamy, pillowy "Wim Hoff" -- named for the Dutch extreme athlete -- offers truly baked lyrics: "...Hung out with Daniel Lanois/In a drug-riddled sprawl/We were smoking paradise/We were Lightnin' Hopkins' jawâ?¦." The single "Charlie Parker" is nearly a suite. It channels early the rock & roll of Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, and Doc Pomus with strings in waltz time! It shifts into darkly tinged theatrical pop and then back again as Wilson name-checks the Wright Brothers, Kurt Elling, Al Jarreau, and Larry Bird. The early rock returns under a scatting sax break that represents the iconic musician. A Pink Floyd-esque slide guitar, synth, and string coda carry it out. A The early rock returns under a scatting sax break that represents the iconic musician. A Pink Floyd-esque Baroque piano and string pop introduce "East L.A.'" -- a searching ballad about aimlessness, artistic frustration, and stasis. Closer "Ridin' in a Jag" is maximal. Wilson loosely stitches together Cali singer/songwriter fare and indie pop. (It feels like Nilsson in the studio with producer David Axelrod.) Its biting, humorous lyrics poke merciless fun at himself and L.A. entertainment culture before transforming into a tender love song. Fans of Wilson's earlier records might struggle a bit with Eat the Worm's many directions, but before long, the album, despite its sense of adventure, slots easily into his restless, immersive, utterly imaginative catalog. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	09/08/2023
Label:	Bmg / Bmg Rights Management
UPC:	4050538912838
Rank:	74460

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jonathan Wilson   Primary Artist,Drums,Piano,Guitar,Jaw Harp,Keyboards,Percussion,Harpsichord,Synthesizer,Sound Effects
Wynton Grant   Strings,Horn
Grant Milliken   Vibraphone,Waterphone
Jake Blanton   Bass,Sitar (Electric)
CJ Camerieri   Horn,Strings
Steven Holtman   Horn,Strings
Andrew Bulbrook   Horn,Strings
Miwi La Lupa   Horn,Strings,Trumpet
Drew Erickson   Organ,Piano,Clavinet,Keyboards,Wurlitzer,Harpsichord,Synthesizer,Organ (Hammond)
Andrea Nakhla   Organ,Pipe Organ
Rita Andrade   Horn,Strings
Paul Cartwright   Horn,Strings
Christine Kim   Horn,Strings

Technical Credits

Grant Milliken   Engineer
Barry Grint   Cut
Jonathan Wilson   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming,Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Jeremy Borum   Copyist,String Copyist
Drew Erickson   Horn Arrangements,String Arrangements
Andrea Nakhla   Design,Creative Director
Wayne Olsen   Artwork
Adam Ayan   Engineer,Mastering