American indie rock and avant-garde musician, composer and producer Jim O'R… Read Full Bio ↴American indie rock and avant-garde musician, composer and producer Jim O'Rourke (born January 18, 1969, in Chicago) 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. He currently resides in Yamanashi, Japan.

A Chicago native, O'Rourke's 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. In early 1993, he formed an avant-rock group with Darin Gray and Dylan Posa called Brise-Glace. The band released one studio album, When in Vanitas..., in 1994.

Subsequently, O'Rourke has released a fair bit of material as a soloist, although more often in the electro-acoustic/musique concrète vein. Dealing most often with prepared guitar in improvisational group settings, 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. He also had the opportunity to meet up with noted improvisational guitarist Derek Bailey, whose invitation to O'Rourke to play at the British improv festival Company Week led to further collaborative projects with Bailey, Henry Kaiser, Eddie Prevost, and David Jackman. O'Rourke began working with Dan Burke's Illusion of Safety project in the early '90s, releasing three albums through Staalplaat and Tesco, before moving on to form experimental "rock" group Gastr Del Sol with David Grubbs. Although focusing more on collaboration after a string of solo releases in the early '90s, O'Rourke has shifted back to solo work of late, releasing Terminal Pharmacy through John Zorn's Tzadik label and completing commissioned pieces for the Kronos Quartet and the Rova Saxophone Quartet. In 1995, O'Rourke was invited by German experimental electronic label Mille Plateaux (Oval, Steel, Microstoria) to conduct an extended remix of their entire back catalog. He also produced and co-wrote a good portion of innovative German outfit Faust's Table of the Elements release, Rien. O'Rourke is also noted for his work as a producer. This role led to another project during the mixing of Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, when O'Rourke combined with Jeff Tweedy and Glenn Kotche to form Loose Fur.

Through the Night Softly
Jim O'Rourke Lyrics

We have lyrics for these tracks by Jim O'Rourke:

03 Movie on the Way Down There's that word again Pride Do you pride yourself on being…
All Downhill From Here Don't believe a word I say Not that you would anyway I…
End Of The Road Some day I'll see Every place but one Move on, there's not…
Eureka Hello, Hello, can you hear me? Are your skies clear and…
Fuzzy Sun What you call a pain I call weeding out And what you…
Get a Room Get A Room It's always me in the only seat That has…
Ghost Ship in a Storm Nothing makes me want to disappear As when someone opens the…
Ghostship in a Storm Nothing makes me want to disappear As when someone opens th…
Good Times I may be dressed as a doctor dear, But I'm not,…

Half Life Crisis I know you think the sun is shining And I hate…
Halfway to a Threeway I used to have none Now with you, I've got one If…
Happy Holiday I'm going to a place Where the women have nothing on But…
Happy Holidays I'm going to a place Where the women have nothing on But…
Hotel Blue The shadow you're seeing Has nowhere to go There's no way …
Insignificance I'm still waiting For a sign That describes How it's all gon…
Last Year Isn't that the guy From last year (Hey) He's a wild man H…
Life Goes Off You used to be quite content with your shower cap I…
Move on the Way Down There's that word again Pride Do you pride yourself on being…
Something Big Like a grain of sand That wants to be A rolling stone I…
That Weekend Have you seen the yard? It's not hard to miss You should…
The Workplace Women look good in, with their suits on It suits them Men…
These Hands This hand of mine Has a mind of it's own It's been…

Viva Forever Do you still remember how we used to be? Feeling together,…

The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos

TRACKS