Personnel: Tom Morello (vocals, guitar); Serj Tankian, Shooter Jennings (vocals); Brendan O'Brien (various instruments); Daniel Laufer (cello).
Guitar virtuoso Tom Morello made his reputation in high-volume bands like incendiary rap-rockers Rage Against the Machine and stadium-filling supergroup Audioslave, but his ongoing Nightwatchman project works on a much smaller scale. In place of Rage's weeping politics, the subject matter on THE FABLED CITY deals with everyday struggles and the politics of putting one foot in front of the other. The music fits the tales, as Morello largely eschews the sci-fi electric guitar heroics he's known for, and instead pours his inventive technique into stark, mostly acoustic folk compositions. That's not to say Morello doesn't find room for different sounds and textures; "Whatever It Takes" buzzes with fuzzy funk and small breaks of rapidly strummed, high-pitched guitars, and "Facing Mount Kenya" incorporates subtle African influences. minimize