Jeffrey Runnings
Piqued
(Independent Project)
Apologies in advance for this
self-indulgent opening. My introduction to Jeffrey Runnings’ music happened
late in 1990 via his incredible US postpunk band For Against. Runnings was
their vocalist and bassist and their only consistent member from
1984-2009. I had heard of For Against,
but had not heard them. I remember
reading a brief write up about a 10” EP release that was hyper limited. Everything about it intrigued me, but I kind
of assumed I would never run across it due to its limited nature. Lucky that we had Ooze Records – a small record shop just off Burnside in SW
Portland. It was an amazing store that
looked like it had been a former one chair barber shop. At that time they seemed to carry everything
that I could ever be interested in. They
had that For Against In the Marshes 10”
EP. It stood out. The cover had a green image looking up
through trees. It had a similar quiet
beauty that I loved about New Order’s
album art – a band I purchased originally unheard and based on record sleeve
design alone, before discovering their prior incarnation as Joy Division and their even better
cover designs. In other words, the
packaging evoked the same kind of artistic spirit as UK record labels such as 4AD and Factory, both of whom I essentially worshipped. This was different though. I was in love with the otherworldly aesthetic
that these labels put into their designs, and this was on an LA based label: Independent Project Records. That otherworldly aspect was not just the
beautiful design and packaging. The six
songs on the EP were incredibly special.
Upon first listen, I felt completely transported. There were postpunk songs like “Amnesia” and
“Amen Yves” that captured both a pop sensibility and a certain dark and
mysterious intensity kind of like Movement
era New Order. However, it was the
more experimental mostly instrumental tracks that struck me the most. “Tibet” and “The Purgatory Salesman” had an
atmosphere that melted into my psyche and transported me to the nether regions
of my imagination. It reminded me of
4AD’s Dif Juz, but better and more
impactful. I played this combination of
songs over and over again!
In the Marshes was a total music game changer for me. This release was the first entry into Independent Project’s Archive Series. The Archive Series was to be a monthly subscription of releases collecting previously unheard recordings by IPR related artists - none of whom I was familiar with. These records would all be immaculately packaged in limited number editions with artistic sleeves on 10” colored vinyl. This not only enticed my ever-expanding search for great under heard music, but my collector nerd desires. I immediately and impatiently subscribed and was assigned my own number for each release (0340). All of the Archive Series releases that ensued over the following few years are priceless treasures both as visual art pieces, but as mind expanding music! Those records are very personal to me, and they introduced me to artists that I still treasure to this day. These transactions only intensified my desire and interest in music. It was through this new connection learned about the incredible NY band Springhouse (IPR’s founder Bruce Licher designed their debut album’s cover art), which then led me to their drummer’s long time music fanzine The Big Takeover, whose bi-annual epic tomes still inform my musical journey in 2025. When I say this was a game changer, I mean it. That curious purchase of In the Marshes planted a seed that truly expanded my horizons for good.
Piqued is
Jeffrey Runnings’ second solo effort and sadly his last. Runnings passed away earlier this year and
this album is a posthumous release and an amazing tribute to his impressive legacy. For Against, out of Nebraska, were an
oddity. A rare UK inspired postpunk band
who created dense tension filled emotive songs that masterfully encapsulated a
dream pop accessibility and an experimental melancholy that rivaled anything
their influences doled out. Their eight
albums were all incredible, and in my opinion, their final two (Shade Side Sunny Side 2008; Never Been 2009) proved to be among
their best. Runnings reappeared with his
first solo effort in 2016 with Primitives
and Smalls, an album that never worked for me. There’s definitely promise in those songs,
but the recordings felt like they needed his band to flesh them out and give
them depth. To be honest it was an
unsatisfying LP coming from an artist I had admired for so long.
That’s part of why Piqued is such a bittersweet album. It’s as if Runnings had found his footing again as an artist after giving up his musical ambitions and recording songs at home for himself. The wonderful tribute essay by Camilla Aisa included in this stunning IPR letterpress package details how Runnings had been on a life long journey to find certain simple sounds that evoke the most feeling. This is what drew me so strongly to the esoteric side of In the Marshes. I feel a kinship with his sound goals, as a listener. Runnings employs older recording equipment here and the result sounds completely unique in the best of ways. This mostly instrumental collection is captivating. The songs sound well-worn and dusty, instead of sounding crisp, clean and pristine like so many instrumental recordings, these songs sound well-worn, disheveled, and even murky at times. It all sounds so human. This aesthetic boosts these tracks with character, mystery, and depth. They make me want to know more. As I mentioned above, they capture my imagination, drawing me into their unspoken stories.
“Batman Forever” was the first song presented after Runnings’ passing, and to be honest, I was a little wary – worried that it would sound incomplete. However, instead it is a quiet statement of love and trust as he repeats “You’re the one I want to be there.” It’s quite touching and listening to it now is bringing a lot of heavy emotions to the surface. The other vocal song “Heretofore” is one of his great For Against style songs that is both catchy and deeply evocative.
My favorites of the instrumentals are “Threadbare” and its dirty sounding drum machine beat underneath washes of uncomfortable sounds; and “Failed Rescue Attempt,” which has a quiet intensity that is disconcerting, yet endlessly intriguing. I enjoy his use of piano throughout, as his mournful keystrokes provide a powerful mystique to songs like “Glorious Grey” and “Elegy.”
This is not your usual instrumental style album. Piqued is unique. To some it may sound rough, but to me it sounds like adventure, exotic locations, and interesting dreams. I feel close to these songs, because they feel like they are what I would want to create, if I had even a smidgeon of talent. Plus I feel a heavy nostalgia thinking back to that discovery of For Against nearly 35 years ago and how important that mind and life expanding charge that followed really was.
(https://jeffreyrunnings.bandcamp.com/album/piqued)
