David Duchovny – Gestureland

Gestureland is a melancholy, occasionally noisy but ultimately beautiful affair, and another creative triumph for its architect: Musician-actor-author David Duchovny.

While fans may know him best for his screen work (The X-Files, Californication), Duchovny has carved out a larger creative role over the years, authoring four books and releasing three albums while earning raves (and a dedicated fanbase) for his live shows.

While the feelings on Gestureland are intimate, the music is expansive: It evokes 70s California pop, alternative rock, folk and country. “Nights Are Harder Than Days'' serves as a rollickin’ album opener (shades of Neil Young here), while “Holding Patterns” is softer and orchestral. And ballads such as “Pacific Coast Highway,” “Tessera” and “Sea of Tranquility” find the singer in a more plaintive realm.

In its own right, it’s timeless music. “I wouldn’t go about imitating anyone,” says Duchovny. “But for me it’s about classic rock, the British Invasion, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Aimee Mann — you fall in love with certain sounds.”

Most of the album written during a fraught time in our country, reflected most directly on the early single “Layin’ on the Tracks,” an urgent rocker the singer released just before the presidential election. Here, lines like “This civil war we’ve been fighting in/Since before the flood/Yeah, there’s part of us that’s always been/At home in the blood” feel damn prophetic.

“I’d never written a song like that,” he admits. “Politics is not my style, but I leaned into it this time. But it’s also personal at the same time — it’s both what I need to change myself and where the country is at. And I do believe the personal is political — there’s no ‘theme’ to the album but I’m always the same animal riding through the songs.”

With his two earlier releases (2015’s Hell or High Water and 2017’s Every Third Thought) Duchovny earned critical acclaim; Allmusic called his music “eloquent, alt-rock-kissed country-folk in the vein of Wilco and the Wallflowers,” while the Boston Globe praised Duchovny’s voice, noting “he sings with a parched resonance and just a hint of rasp. He is rather heartfelt.”

Duchovny — a songwriter on record with a healthy sense of humor in real life — nods at the compliments but follows his own modest methodology: “I’ll finish a record, then I’ll sit and listen, and go, yeah! That’s really nice melodic stuff. What else do you want?”

Helping achieve all these sounds: Colin Lee, Mitch Stewart and Pat McCusker, three former college friends from the Berklee College of Music and longtime studio musicians who have worked with Duchovny on all of his records. “David is so joyful about making music, and his lyrical approach and his way of looking at songs is like poetry,” says Lee. “He creates stuff that excites us as musicians.”

“The more we’ve all worked together, the more we’re all taking risks and tapping into new influences,” adds McCusker, pointing to the unique arrangements on the new track (and album standout) “Tessera.”

During the pause before the new album’s arrival, Duchovny released a new novel, Truly Like Lightning, now in development at Showtime. But like all good musicians, he’s anxious to get back on the road and perform these new songs live. “David has so much energy and charisma, it’s easy for him to carry the show,” says his bandmate Stewart.

“I always get such a kick playing live,” adds the singer. “We make our show into a whole evening, and take people on a journey. I can’t wait to do a version of this album for a tour.”

Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe