Bob Gaulke is an interesting guy! He’s a very busy musician with 34 releases in the last decade. Nine of those were released in 2022 alone! I happened to really get to know Bob on the occasion of his tribute album to mutual friend Ron Kane on his death. I flew to Los Angeles in 2018 with friends chasinvictoria and Mr. Ware to participate in and attend the two concerts that Bob and Cary Berger had set up in Los Angeles to perform the music from that album with many of Ron’s friends both onstage and off.

At that time I learned that this gentleman swore that he had hard drives with enough songs for 50 albums and that the only mitigating factor in meting out their release was the amount of debt he was willing to run up on his credit cards. Bob writes the songs and records with a guitar and drum machine. He hands off the recordings to his favorite musicians, pays them for their participation, and they work their magic on his songs. It was over five years ago when he mentioned to me that he’d engaged Barry Andrews and Martyn Barker of Shriekback to play on a series of songs which have recently been released last summer on a trio of projects. two albums, and an EP.

Bob Gaulke: (detail) – US – CD-R [2025]

1. Dreams Keep Me Up All Night 3:29
2. The Women Of Earth 2:37
3. Moving Center 2:56
4. Human Television 2:37
5. “You” Meaning You 2:44
6. Thousand Decisions 2:49
7. When Do You Think You Are? 2:49
8. The Listener 2:23

While I’ve been listening to Bob’s music for some years now I had to wonder upon hearing that this had happened; would Andrews and Barker bring any Shriekback DNA into the songs? In a word, No. Instead they brought their lifetime of musical experience and sensitivity, but they are not the only extra players here. Hans Croon of The Dutch played guitar and backing vocals in addition to performing the editing. Paolo LePetit played “Impossible Bass” on three cuts. Gil Olivera played drums on two cuts. And Peri Mason and Vivian Benford contributed backing vocals.

Martyn Barker’s gently brushed drums and the jovial organ stylings of Barry Andrews formed a sunny groove as far a possible from anything in the Shriekzone. The nearly bucolic melody and vibe of “Dreams Keep Me Up All Night” almost called out for cows to be providing “mooooooos” in the background as Mr. Gaulke lazily drifted down the river of the song. In fact, Mr. Andrews interjected what I can only assume were synthetic sheep bleats into the mix in an entirely correct manner! The first time I listened to this I was struck by the beauty of the lyrical Jazz guitar solo in the middle eight. Was that Bob dazzling my ears? No! The credits revealed that Hans Croon played all of the “better guitars” in a truth-in-labeling gambit from Bob! I’ll assume that’s also Croon on the languid slide that completes the pastoral vibe that made this song instantly appealing.

The synthetic backbeat in “Women Of Earth” was unexpected following the first cut, but rulebooks were made to be discarded. The jaunty, quirky number featured the “la-la” backing vocals from the Peri and Vivian as the bouncy vibe contrasted mightily with Gaulke’s relaxed delivery. I loved the chorused eBow guitar [surely Mr. Croon once more?] that drifted through this one. Shakers from Mr. Barker were joined with the slide and rhythm guitar and perky bass from, Gaulke himself as the euphoric vibe inveigled its way into our heart. The interplay between the free-flowing synth solo from Andrews and the effulgent guitar in the climax surprisingly ceded the ground to Barker for a tight drum solo to end it on.

The languid and funky “Human Television” married Gaulke’s hushed delivery of the lyric with gently chugging vibe shot through with bluesy guitar solos. The heavy syncopation that Andrews put on his organ playing at song’s midpoint upped the ante of disquiet for this unsettling number that featured the Brazilian rhythm section of LaPetit and Olivera that figured on this track.

Today’s earworm has been “You Meaning You” and the juxtaposition of power chords [a rarity for this album!] and glockenspiel gave a great foundation for the extremely catchy chorus to worm its way into my brain in the last week. The sustained guitar from Mr. Croon almost attained a slide fluidity here that made the nearly Acid Rock guitar solo in the middle eight all the more shocking.

The pensive, nocturnal sound of “Thousand Decisions” wad the one track here with call backs to the Shriekback Noir of “Big Night Music.” The beautiful piano dovetailed elegantly with the Samba rhythms of Mr. Olivera here while eerie synth lines reverberated into the dark spaces surrounding us. While Gaulke’s delivery was unusually low with split octave backing vocals on the high end [from Mr. Croon?] doubling with his leads for an unsettling feel on the dreamlike song.

The album concluded with the crisp attack of “The Listener” which married an almost motorik beat from Mr. Barker with lyrical piano from Mr. Andrews. The middle eight took an unexpected journey to a spacey, portamento synth solo vying with Barker’s Jazzy breakbeats and frisky bass on the part of Mr. LePetit. Meanwhile, Bob’s lyrics became meta-metaphor territory as music became a proxy for a relationship.

“singer swoons as we do
guitars groove chorus moves
play it again we need to
get into what feels good
she calls the tune
she knows the truth
nothing she can see
makes a pause worthy”

The Listener

Since Bob believes that “less is more,” his albums tend to be concise, eight-song affairs. This one certainly was a well curated blend of material that sustained a good-natured vibe that often belied the attack of his ambiguous lyrical approach. The contributions of the players were well mixed and mastered here by Martin Scian. The resulting songs cajoled the ears and the quality of the songwriting and playing beckoned us back for swift seconds. There is little better than an album that strongly suggests that you play it on repeat since once is not enough. I’ve enjoyed all of Bob’s music that I’ve heard. At least a third by my reckoning, but this latest effort crossed a line into a more compulsive listen than I normally have time and space for. I got my copy of this in October, that I’ve not had the time to devote my listening to this until recently is my loss. Bandcamp have the DL for $7 and the CD-R for $10, so DJ hit that button!

Next: …(S)words Of A Thousand Men?