Transnormal Skiperoo (Bonus Tracks Edition)

Singer-songwriter Jim White skirts genres. He has his country moments, his flashes of folk, his rocker tendencies and an abiding love for sound exploration that takes his songs out of the normal traffic loop and into space. Transnormal Skiperoo, White’s fourth studio album, named after the indescribable joy he’s known to feel on occasion just for being alive, is a deeply layered collection of styles merging and clashing to great effect. Produced by Joe Pernice and Michael Deming and recorded with the band Ollabelle, along with guest spots from local Georgia bluegrass duo Jeff and Vida on the album’s closer “Long Long Day,” Transnormal diversifies throughout. “Take Me Away” uses his rustic tone, dobro and banjo to punctuate his southern drawl. “Turquoise Car” hop-steps with a goofy free spiritedness, whereas “Fruit of the Vine” is seven minutes of ambient space travel where White’s drawl curtails to a whisper. “Crash into the Sun,” employs Tucker Martine and Laura Veirs to work a shadowy funk. A moody nightclub noir swagger haunts “Diamonds to Coal.” White’s eclectic impulses create abrupt stylistic shifts that rely on the element of surprise.