Jonathan Rundman has been dealing with sleep issues. Struck by bouts of insomnia over the past few years, the 37-year-old singer/songwriter frequently found himself wide-eyed, jittery, and restless while his wife and children slumbered peacefully in their Minneapolis home. These sleep difficulties had surfaced thanks to the regular late-night feedings of a new baby, the side-effects of a percocet-fueled recovery from a tonsillectomy, and the demands of being both a stay-home-Dad during the week and a nationally touring rock musician on the weekends.
Despite Rundman’s chronic sleep-deprivation, those extra hours of consciousness have resulted in one positive thing: music.
Insomniaccomplishments is Rundman’s new album, and its lengthy title is more than just a clever compound word: it’s a testament to his stewardship of those many available pre-dawn hours. As his family slept, Rundman descended to his basement studio where he crafted lyrics and melodies, constructed chord progressions and riffs, recorded vocal and instrumental tracks, and edited rhythm section performances taken from a variety of sources and time periods. Often working until sunrise, and without the creativity editor that often hampers the artist’s mind during the daytime, Rundman assembled the 18 songs found on this, his seventh solo album.
The album’s release comes in the midst of a very exciting 2008. Jonathan Rundman began the year featured on the Paste Magazine CD Sampler (December/January issue) along with like-minded songwriters Liam Finn, Ingrid Michaelson, and Jens Lekman. The appearance of Rundman’s song “Front Row At The Fashion Show” on the magazine sampler led to the track’s licensure by Starbuck’s Coffee for airplay in 10,000 Starbuck’s locations around the globe.
In March, Rundman made his first appearance at the South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, TX, where he performed at the annual Swollen Circus showcase along with some of his musical heroes The Silos, Syd Straw, Tom Freund, and Peter Buck and Mike Mills of REM.
April 2008 saw one of Jonathan Rundman’s songs “Xian Bookstore” quoted in the book Rapture Ready by author Daniel Radosh and published by Simon & Schuster. Rundman’s song and Radosh’s book both cast a wary eye into the strange world of religious pop culture. The book’s release spurred a New York Times article which included Rundman in a musical playlist along with other spiritually savvy songwriters such as Vigilantes Of Love, Pedro The Lion, and Bob Dylan. The New York Times piece commended Rundman’s “bright, catchy, indie-pop.”
Jonathan Rundman now looks ahead to a coast-to-coast Summer and Fall tour schedule. Supporting the brand new Insomniaccomplishments album, Rundman’s dates include club shows, songwriting seminars, community concerts, and festival appearances with artists such as Over The Rhine, Switchfoot, and the Minnesota Orchestra.
Insomniaccomplishments contains some of the melodic and quirky Midwestern rock that Rundman’s fans have come to expect, but there are also some musical and instrumental surprises. Rundman’s deepening exploration of his Scandinavian heritage is evident in the minor, close-harmonied acappella songs “December Chicago” and “Assistance,” as well as his instrumental guitar arrangement of the 18th century Finnish folk tune “Kuortane.” The insomnia-influenced recording sessions have also birthed the most prog-rock offerings in Rundman’s catalog. “Nothing Downtown,” “I Saw Greenland,” and “I’m Alive and Sleep Deprived” employ vintage Hammond organ, intricate electric guitar solos, and Nirvana-meets-Kansas style drumming.
Long-time duet partner Beki Hemingway adds breathtaking harmonies to the atmospheric folk-pop of “Get Behind The Wheel” and “I Thought You Were Mine.” Rundman fearlessly tackles unlikely rock subject matter in the theology-driven songs “If You Have a Question,” “Imperfection,” and “Little Bible,” going where only T Bone Burnett, Sam Phillips, or Bruce Cockburn might dare to tread. “Daniel & Peter & Thomas” connects the Holy Trinity of TV news (Rather, Jennings, and Brokaw) to their Biblical namesakes, with guest-drumming by Matt Thobe of renowned Chicago band Dolly Varden. “World of Wheels,” “Her Lip Balm,” and “I’m A Liar,” stretch from Stonesy rock to Celtic-cowpunk to ‘70s-esque West Coast country, with Rundman’s sharp wordplay weaving throughout.
The overall tone of Insomniaccomplishments may be darker and more challenging than the other albums in Rundman’s critically acclaimed 15-year career, but there are moments of optimism and perseverance shining through, too. “New Eyes” celebrates renewal with a driving Americana twang, laced with Rundman’s rollicking Wurlitzer electric piano. “Here at 2141” paints a glorious picture of newly-wedded bliss with arena-shaking drums and a jubilant horn arrangement. The enthusiastic “Dialysis Carpool” is a homespun tour de force, written and recorded on a cassette 4-track recorder in one afternoon this past April. The song transcends its lo-fi origins with bizarrely heartfelt lyrics, joyously thrashing guitar and drums, and an infectiousness that evokes garage-pop classics from Nick Lowe to Camper Van Beethoven to Liz Phair to The Faces.
Jonathan Rundman has indeed taken the curse of insomnia and used it to accomplish something measurable. Now listeners may judge if Insomniaccomplishments holds up to scrutiny in the bright light of day.
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