vineland
[2006, for satellites]

this disc, which came in a very nice hand sewn packaging, was sent to me from brooklynite (but currently in missoula, montana pursuing higher education) artist/writer/musician jasmine dreame wagner. she is the one static fixture in cabinet of natural curiosities, though, from time to time, she does enlist the help of a revolving cast of musicians to fill out the sound. such is the case here.

vineland puts its best foot forward, atleast as far as melody's concerned, with calico (outside). that track makes a reworked reappearance (inside) five songs later. this version is pure memorable lo-fi warmth. sounding like it was recorded directly onto a hand-held tape recorder from radioshack, it's the consummate bedroom folk moment on the album. jasmine pulls it off so sublimely that it makes you wish that she'd stay truer to that concept a bit more. you'll soon forget about all of that after you realize how good everything else is as well. the reprised version swaps the lo-fidelity for cleaner sounds (inside as opposed to outside, now it makes sense, right?). it's still good, but give me the tape hiss and that lovely xylophone from outside.

vineland (part 2) is another stab at bedroom folk and it's another excellent song. this time it's a bit more experimentally-inclined, from the field recordings, which serve as the background music, to the acoustic guitar which transforms to affected guitar during the latter half. this, along with calico, is one the more impressive and melodic vocal perfomances from jasmine, who has a very lovely voice. i'll save myself the embarassment of drawing comparisons and just leave it at that. on occasion, she's backed by a male singer who does a great job of enhancing, and not detracting from, that loveliness. this is best witnessed on the terrific glass essay.

if i had to narrow down my choice of favorites, one would have to be the fourth track, sailing seasick. propelled by a very simple drum hit and then a wood hit rhythmic pattern, it has a guitar playing some terrific chords that seem like they could've come from a spaghetti western score (actually, this would be right at home on jarmusch's underappreciated dead man). without being outright catchy, it's a great track all around.

the rest of vineland is mainly comprised of instrumental songs. these; however, serve as more than just minor stop-gaps in between the vocal ones, they have their own legs and are just as impressive as everything else on here.

it's always refreshing when you come across an experimental folk album that doesn't have to be weird to be different. vineland (perhaps a nod to thomas pynchon?) is one such album. it succeeds on a few different levels. first, it has its share of memorable songs, which is always a good thing. secondly, while there is experimentation being used, not once does it come across as being forced. you don't get that let's be weird just for weirdness' sake vibe that one can come across far too often with this type of music. here, it seems to be more of a natural progression, rather than a suit-following afterthought. lastly, while i can easily see this having a broader appeal, it isn't crafted as such. it just so happens that some talented people came together and made a wonderful album. nothing more, nothing less. i would hope that it's only a matter of time before more people start picking up on what jasmine and co. are doing.

at just over thirty minutes long for nine tracks, this cd is the perfect length for this type of music. the slightly kindred spirited album scatter ways, that i raved about awhile ago, was just about the same length. it sticks around long enough for you to fully appreciate it and be able to take it all in, but it's short enough that it doesn't suffer from the inclusion of lesser tracks that were thrown in simply to bulk up the running time. sometimes less is perfect.

Calico (Outside)
(for more free mp3's check out cabinet of natural curiosities' last.fm page and jasmine's myspace)

I dig this album entirely! I feel fortunate to be in Missoula and have this wonderful talent in our mix.
Vineland gets regular spins on my KBGA college radio morning show. A quality folk treasure. Thanks for the goods!