-- Whims, Reveries, and Nightmare Sorrows, the latest album from James Pequignot, spans four years, three homes, and nearly 3,000 miles. Pequignot had once sworn off songs of unrequited love, but the discovery of one of his favorite new artists: Josh Ritter, along with a lengthy bout of depression sparked by a bad breakup, compelled him to write and produce an album that didn't shy away from his feelings, but embraced them. The result is an album that is tragically beautiful. Pequignot avoids the common cliches associated with this kind of material, and instead creates conflicted characters in interesting situations who explore the sadness of the world around them, and often come to enlightening conclusions. Pequignot has worked and recorded at several different “real” recording studios, and felt that he could do a better job of producing this album himself with nothing but home recording equipment. That means no $1000 microphones, no vacuum tube pre-amps, and no one to tell him “no.” This album is an artistic statement, made with only creativity in mind. Pequignot worked mostly alone on this album, playing almost all of the instrumentation himself. There are a few touches of his old, and badly missed, collaborator, Evan Tachovsky. During production he relocated not once, but twice. First out of his parent's home to a carriage house in Akron, Ohio, and then to a small apartment in Los Angeles. Four years may seem a long time to work on a record, but the care taken in producing this collection of music can be felt in every song. This is a rare album. With a rich sonic quality, and a lyrical depth missing from most modern music, Whims, Reveries, and Nightmare Sorrows, is a joy to listen to from start to finish. --