Do a search on the word Brokeback and it’s likely to yield several pages devoted to that famed controversial cowboy film. But if you go back a decade and then some, you’ll find a little band whose members have gone on to make a name for themselves in the world of independent music.
Another Routine Day Breaks was recently reissued by Thrill Jockey on clear vinyl, a limited pressing of 500. It’s the second pressing of the single, following the original of 1,000 copies on Hi-Ball Records in 1997. Both feature three color print on die-cut board sleeves.
States the Thrill Jockey site about Brokeback and member Douglas McCombs:
Douglas may be familiar to many of you as the bassist for Eleventh Dream Day, Tortoise and Pullman (the latter being an all-acoustic collaboration that features members of Come, Directions in Music and Rex). Through Brokeback, Douglas has sought to explore something not as densely structured as his other musical outings with a focus on rhythm and texture. The idea with Brokeback is to keep things simple and let the melodies hang in the air. By the nature of this decision the music is sparse, but not without sounding full and realized.
Yes, I bought this solely for the purpose of featuring it here. And no, I have not yet listened to it. But I did find some tracks from other Brokeback releases and they are minimal yet glorious. As Thrill Jockey notes in one of their recaps for a different Brokeback release, this is a must for any Tortoise fan.
