Down in a Mirror: A Second Tribute to Jandek is a tribute album

Tribute album

A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...

 compiled by Moscow, PA

Moscow, Pennsylvania

Moscow is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,026 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Moscow is located at ....

-based independent record label

Independent record label

An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...

 Summersteps Records, released as a follow-up to the label's first Jandek tribute, Naked in the Afternoon

Naked In The Afternoon: A Tribute To Jandek

Naked in the Afternoon: A Tribute to Jandek is a tribute album compiled by Moscow, PA-based independent record label Summersteps Records. The album features cover versions of songs by the reclusive avant-folk/blues singer/songwriter Jandek...

. As with Naked in the Afternoon, Down In A Mirror features cover versions of songs by the reclusive avant-

Avant-garde

Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....

folk/

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

blues singer/songwriter Jandek

Jandek

Jandek is the musical project of an anonymous outsider musician who operates out of Houston, Texas. Since 1978, Jandek has self-released over 60 albums of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs without ever granting more than the occasional interview or providing any biographical...

. Some of the artists are members of the Summersteps roster or fans forming one-time combos to participate on the album, but the album also features contributions from Wilco

Wilco

Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...

's Jeff Tweedy

Jeff Tweedy

Jeffrey Scot "Jeff" Tweedy is an American songwriter, musician and leader of the band Wilco. Tweedy joined rockabilly band The Plebes with high school friend Jay Farrar in the early 1980s, but Tweedy's musical interests caused one of Farrar's brothers to quit...

, Six Organs of Admittance

Six Organs of Admittance

Six Organs of Admittance is the primary musical project of guitarist Ben Chasny. Chasny's music is largely guitar-based and is often considered new folk, however it includes obvious influences, marked by the use of drones, chimes, and eclectic percussive elements...

 (reportedly a favorite modern act of Jandek's, according to the "unauthorized" Texas Monthly interview), Kawabata Makoto of Acid Mothers Temple

Acid Mothers Temple

Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. is a Japanese psychedelic band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career featured many musicians, but by 2004 the line-up had coalesced with only a few core members and frequent guest...

, and Okkervil River.

All of the songs are covers of songs from Jandek's back catalog, with the exception of the contribution by the act Dirty Projectors, an original song called "With U Icon (An Homage)". As with the first Summersteps-led tribute album, Jandek gave full permission to cover his material through his Corwood Industries

Corwood Industries

Corwood Industries is a Houston, Texas-based company whose only output would appear to be the music of Jandek. It is not known what other ventures, if any, that Corwood Industries may be involved with....

 label and, at Summersteps' request, contributed some photographs taken by the singer/songwriter for the CD's cover art that emulates Jandek's own record/CD releases.

The recording, compilation, and release of Down In A Mirror came in the wake of both the acclaimed documentary Jandek on Corwood

Jandek on Corwood

Jandek on Corwood is a documentary about veteran reclusive folk/blues artist Jandek. Unlike most popular music documentaries, the subject himself is not seen in the film in any way; instead, various critics, disc jockeys and journalists, many of whom have had some contact with the notoriously...

and Jandek's own sudden surprise foray into live performance, and as a result gained more attention than the original tribute album.

Three of the songs on the compilation, "Nancy Sings", "Babe I Love You", and "Cave In On You", were also covered on Naked in the Afternoon five years earlier, and two songs, "You Painted Your Teeth" and "Babe I Love You" are covered twice (in different arrangements) on this album - a slight curiosity given the fact that at the time the last contribution to this album was finished in February of 2005, Corwood Industries had released over 40 albums of Jandek material.

Track listing

1. "Crack a Smile" (from Lost Cause
   Lost Cause (album)
   Lost Cause is the twenty-first album by Jandek, and his only of 1992. Corwood Industries release #0759, it marks the end of the "electric phase" and, really, of an era...
   
   ) – 3:35
   • Performed by Jeff Tweedy
     Jeff Tweedy
     Jeffrey Scot "Jeff" Tweedy is an American songwriter, musician and leader of the band Wilco. Tweedy joined rockabilly band The Plebes with high school friend Jay Farrar in the early 1980s, but Tweedy's musical interests caused one of Farrar's brothers to quit...
     
      (of Wilco
     Wilco
     Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
     
     ).
2. "You Painted Your Teeth" (from Telegraph Melts
   Telegraph Melts
   Telegraph Melts is the twelfth album and first release of 1986 by musician Jandek. It was released as Corwood Industries #0750.-Track listing:#You – 1:38#On the Planes – 2:48#Go to Bed – 2:46#Ace of Diamonds – 4:43#Twenty Four – 4:55...
   
   ) – 2:36
   • Performed by Live Show Rabbits
3. "The Dunes" (from Worthless Recluse
   Worthless Recluse
   Worthless Recluse is the thirty-first Jandek album and the second of two new albums released in . Released as Corwood #0769, it is the third spoken word album and the last to date.-Track listing:# The Clothes – 1:09# In the Cave – 5:53...
   
   ) – 2:04
   • Performed by Eric Gaffney
     Sebadoh
     Sebadoh is an American indie rock band, formed in 1986 in Westfield, Massachusetts by Eric Gaffney and Dinosaur Jr bass player Lou Barlow. Along with such bands as Pavement and Guided by Voices, Sebadoh helped pioneer lo-fi music, a style of indie rock characterized by low-fidelity recording...
     
     
4. "Your Other Man" (from Blue Corpse
   Blue Corpse
   Blue Corpse is the fifteenth album by Jandek, and his second for 1987. Essentially a duet album with "Eddie," it addresses heartbreak and is considered by many to be the easiest point of entry into the Corwood catalog.- Track listing :...
   
   ) – 5:17
   • Performed by Okkervil River
5. "Message to the Clerk" (from On The Way) – 3:43
   • Performed by Brother JT
6. "I'll Sit Alone and Think a lot About You" (from On the Way) – 4:31
   • Performed by Six Organs of Admittance
     Six Organs of Admittance
     Six Organs of Admittance is the primary musical project of guitarist Ben Chasny. Chasny's music is largely guitar-based and is often considered new folk, however it includes obvious influences, marked by the use of drones, chimes, and eclectic percussive elements...
     
     
7. "Cave in on You/European Jewel" (Incomplete) (both from Ready for the House
   Ready for the House
   Ready for the House is the debut album by Jandek, and was released in 1978 by his own Corwood Industries label, with the catalog number #0739. The artist has said in letters that the number was meaningless. Corwood Industries reissued the album three times on CD, first in 1999, then sometime in the...
   
   ) – 5:06
   • Performed by Home for the Def
8. "Down in a Mirror" (from Chair Beside a Window
   Chair Beside a Window
   Chair Beside a Window is the fourth album by avant-folk/blues singer/songwriter Jandek, and Corwood Industries' first release of 1982 ....
   
   ) – 3:34
   • Performed by The Marshmallow Staircase
9. "White Box" (from White Box Requiem
   White Box Requiem
   White Box Requiem is the twenty-fifth album by Jandek, and his only for 1996.Released as Corwood Industries #0763, it is essentially a "concept album" about a man who opens a "Pandora's box" of sorts...
   
   ) – 2:51
   • Performed by The Mountain Goats
     The Mountain Goats
     The Mountain Goats is an American indie rock band formed in Claremont, CA by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle himself, despite the plural moniker....
     
     
10. "Aimless Breeze" (from Worthless Recluse) – 2:40
    • Performed by George Parsons
11. "Nancy Sings" (from Chair Beside a Window) – 4:47
    • Performed by Lewis & Clarke
12. "Naked in the Afternoon" (from Ready for the House) – 2:45
    • Performed by Jack Norton
13. "Sung" (from Interstellar Discussion
    Interstellar Discussion
    Interstellar Discussion is the ninth album by Jandek, and his only release of 1984. It was released as Corwood 0747. It was reissued on CD in 2001.-Track listing:#Starless – 2:15#Hey – 2:28#Why Did I Change a Word in the Last Song – 2:50...
    
    ) – 1:46
    • Performed by Rivulets
14. "Babe I Love You" (from Lost Cause) – 4:31
    • Performed by Kawabata Makoto
      Acid Mothers Temple
      Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. is a Japanese psychedelic band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career featured many musicians, but by 2004 the line-up had coalesced with only a few core members and frequent guest...
      
      
15. "The Spirit" (from Interstellar Discussion) – 4:01
    • Performed by Wayside Drive
16. "Just Die" (from I Woke Up
    I Woke Up
    I Woke Up is the twenty-sixth album by Jandek and his only release of 1997. Released as Corwood Industries #0764, it introduced a new male vocalist who sings most of the tracks.-Track listing:#First Awake Moment – 2:26...
    
    ) – 6:48
    • Performed by a Real Knife Head
17. "Van Nuys Mission" (from Glad to Get Away
    Glad to Get Away
    Glad to Get Away is the twenty-fourth album by Jandek, and was released as Corwood Industries#0762. It continues the acoustic sound of the prior two albums.-Track listing:#Bitter Tale – 2:25#Hey Mister Can You Tell Me – 3:33#Ezekiel – 2:49...
    
    ) – 2:51
    • Performed by Ross Beach
      Ross Beach
      Ross Beach is a musician, songwriter and record producer living in Portland, Oregon. While attending college in Ruston, Louisiana in the early to mid 1890s, he was a frequent collaborator with a group of musicians who later became known as The Elephant 6 Recording Company, a collective which...
      
      
18. "I Found the Right Change" (from The Gone Wait
    The Gone Wait
    The Gone Wait is the 35th album by Jandek, and the first of two released in 2003 It is Corwood Industries release #0773, and is the first release to feature the artist accompanying himself on fretless electric bass, rather than on his usual acoustic or electric guitar...
    
    ) – 1:46
    • Performed by Multi-Panel
19. "Babe I Love You" (from Lost Cause) – 2:44
    • Performed by Dan Melchior
      Dan Melchior
      Dan Melchior is a singer/songwriter/guitarist who grew up in Shepperton, Surrey, , England and is often labeled a 'garage rock' musician....
      
      
20. "You Painted Your Teeth" (from Telegraph Melts) – 4:09
    • Performed by Pothole Skinny
21. "With U Icon" (An Homage) (Dog Longneck) – 5:09
    • Performed by Dirty Projectors
      Dirty Projectors
      The Dirty Projectors aka David Longstreth includes Amber Coffman , Angel Deradoorian , Brian McOmber , Nat Baldwin , and Haley Dekle during live performances...
      
      

Personnel

• Ted Baird – design, layout design
• Ross Beach – instrumentation
• Brother JT – instrumentation
• Dan Burton – engineer
• Jessica Cowley – engineer
• Jordan Geiger – piano, keyboards
• Gary Pig Gold – liner notes
• Michael Kapinus – bass
• Kawabata Makoto – vocals, hurdygurdy
• Dan Melchior – instrumentation
• The Mountain Goats – guitar, vocals
• Travis Nelsen – drums
• Jack Norton – guitar, vocals, engineer
• George Parsons – vocals
• Rivulets – instrumentation
• Will Sheff – acoustic guitar, vocals
• Jeff Tweedy – bass, guitar, vocals, mellotron
• Jason Woods – drums

• Executive producer: Eric Schlittler
• Layout and design: Ted Baird
• Mastering: Dan McKinney