Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature

Knowing next to nothing about Jenkins, I hadn't clocked the David Berman connection - presumably the "David" in "New Bikini" but possibly not.

Yeah, I read an interview with her where she talked about that. That is a reference to Berman, although it doesn't sound like they were exactly close — he had recruited her for his touring band, and she was really excited about it.

"Hard Drive" also makes me think of late '80s / early '90s Lou Reed – can't put my figure on specifically what song or album – but it's the sing-speak thing, plus the sax and other elements of the musical setting. Feels like a nice touchpoint for an NYC-based singer/songwriter...

Reminds me a bit of Mister Heartbreak-era Laurie Anderson, not miles away from '80s Lou.

I also thought a little of early Suzanne Vega (another New Yorker)

That dry, precise, self-aware diction

Yep. She's a downtown gal, basically.

the second half (last 4 tracks) of this is gorgeous

Yea this is an amazing late 80’s art pop album: Siberry, Laurie Anderson, Kate Bush, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Stina Nordenstam... drenched in something like Lanois reverb. Lovely.

Not to accuse it of plagarism or unoriginality, just pointing out the palette

I was checking out her earlier stuff; really liked the 2013 EP.

it's a little more restrained than most of those 80s artpop albums but i hear the connection to that lineage

i was completely unfamiliar with stina nordenstam before though and i'm listening to and she closed her eyes right now and it's great!

oh you are in for a treat, wait til you get to the follow-up Dynamite

Gosh, the final track of Jenkins's 2013 EP ("Birthday Song") is just gorgeous:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4GbcmMoIDo

Reminds me a little of some of Nico Case's more languorous stuff. There's a beautiful moment in the middle where she sings "They waltz into... a room of darkness"; and the music shifts into to waltz time.

Her 2017 LP seems more... '70s style? I'm not connecting with that one as much.

I listened to those EPs last night too, I really like them! thank you for this thread, I found a new artist that I really like.

Haven't listened to the early EPs yet, I need to. I agree on the '17 album, it seemed nice but didn't grab me.

I also love the thematic through-line of this album, of loss and grief and recovery. It's there from literally the first line and recurs over and over in ways that seem both sad and hopeful. Very much a COVID album even if it's not specifically about COVID.

The 2018 EP ("Live in Foxen Canyon") is really nice... most of the songs are from the LP, but they breathe more in this setting.

love her voice

The penultimate track on the LP is a jam -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWffzwmK4Ww

“Hard Drive” sound palette is definitely 80’s but the half sung half spoken vocals remind me of something from the Morr label like Lali Puna. It’s killing me that the “one two three” reminds me strongly of another song which I have in the tip of my tongue and I can’t quite place it.

Interesting piece - turns out she has played w/Eleanor Friedberger: https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/cassandra-jenkins-an-overview-on-phenomenal-nature-interview/

And with Uncle Earl, too. Her family sounds interesting.

Is this widely available (in the UK) yet? CD seems to have been on order for an age ...

I think it’s come and gone (I’ve missed it too) - the place I had it on order from said they’ve been told “they’ll be front of the queue if there’s a re-press”. Al though the ba da bing bandcamp is still selling them if you’re prepared to stump up postage from the US.

Ah, yes. We may have ordered from the same shop!

I've ordered it twice - once from Sister Ray and once from Reflex in Newcastle. Haven't heard back from the latter but I would be surprised if it arrived now.

Actually it turns out the total cost of ordering it direct from the ba da bing Bandcamp, even with postage from the US, is roughly the same so I might give that a go.

Just received the CD copy of EP which I ordered via Bandcamp (with little handwritten note from her) - very happy to have it

It's showing as a "pre-order" at Norman Records now though still just "unavailable" at Sister Ray.

Did Ba Da Bing just under estimate the demand for this, I wonder?

I'm still at the "play at least once everyday" phase ... though, sadly, via Spotify. (I have the CD on order).

FYI I ordered the CD (to the UK) through the Ba Da Bing bandcamp and it arrived the other day - the order seems to have been sent from Melodic records (the label) in Manchester so maybe they still have a few?

Wish I’d known, there are a couple of things I want from Melodic and it would have been good to save on postage!

I think the PR is associated to Melodic.

This is very pretty music

Did anyone actually receive this from Sister Ray? Only just occurred to me to check and it is showing as "In Stock" there.

Anyhow. This remains my favourite album of 2021, so far. I don't have a good sense of what I want to say about it, though.

This is really great! FYI if you are in the US and still looking, I was able to get a CD copy from Midheaven.

Still my favorite album of 2021, too. Some of it ("Ambiguous Norway") reminds me a lot of Bon Iver's self-titled album, albeit more restrained.

certainly a contender for my favourite this year

Liking this - Live on KEXP at home - a lot (Have just skipped to the songs so far):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg_ijQmHVPo

^I was watching this last nite; nice performances for sure.

(she also seems like a cool person, for whatever that's worth)

Yeah, yeah she does.

She's an interesting artist: has been recording a while, but has only released one full-length LP, plus various EPs and singles. It feels like she sort of focuses on "minor statements" instead of grand gestures, and records when inspiration strikes (maybe approaching music-making similar to how a visual artist works?).

Then again, I guess multiple EPs & singles are pretty common these days (on every level of the biz).

i've listened to this album while on sunset walks a dozen times since spring -- i'm not sure it would make sense to me in any other context now -- and it's easily my favorite new record in a long while

this year's album was her second full-length though?

I guess you’re right, it is being referred to as an album (I’ve been thinking of it as an EP; it doesn’t quite feel album-y to me).

Taken me a while to get round to this but damn it's beautiful. Perfect as the evenings draw in and the year wheels into autumn.

I've returned to this after a bit of a break and ... it's utterly magical.

I think the record this reminds me of most is Stina Nordenstam's Memories of a Color. It's warmer overall, but has a similar coherence of vision and emotional tone.

Wow, this song is legit. I got kinda burned out on CJ, but I'm here for it

great news!

mostly i'm wondering how she's going to make all the sonic reference points fit together. "only one" is pure sophisti-pop but how is that going to fit with the 90s alt rock that's apparently a major influence elsewhere on the album?

"Destroyer" in the title of this very Kaputt-sounding* album is cute.

If you list Blue Nile and Annie Lennox as inspiration/RIYL for your album, I'm gonna think of that amazing "Downtown Lights" cover and immediately be on yr street team.

*The one song, anyway

I'd not heard that Annie Lennox cover before and it has just had me blubbering into my porridge.

Love the new Cassandra track too. Interested to see where this goes.

You've all clocked the UK/Europe tour? Tickets went on sale this morning at 1000 and I had tickets before 1001!

thank you - I had somehow missed any announcements but got tickets for London after that post

Oh, good. One of those events I didn't want to flag until I had tickets!

Been playing various sessions and live shows of hers on YouTube and her band line-ups seem ... restless! (In an endearing, creative way).

she's playing a free show here in Toronto next month, not sure if she'll be solo since it's free and all or if she'll be backed but either way, thrilled

Really good at Rough Trade last night - with (I am assured) local musicians rather than the regular band. Three new songs (Aurora, Petco, Clams Casino) dome solo+ electric guitar, then joined by the band for a mix of the first five from Overview of Phenomenal Nature plus Only One and Delphinium Blue. Apparently Delphinium Blue is being "released" today?

I've been in two minds about Only One for a couple of weeks but seeing it live made it make more sense to me, I couldn't tell you why.

Delphinium Blue is out, AOTY incoming

quite good! feels like it could be on last year's caroline polachek album

Delphinium Blue is good, kinda Lynchy, lightly trip-hoppy. I like the vibe.

these are going in one ear and out the other, but I enjoy them all the same

looking forward to the album!

I've really enjoyed "Delphinium Blue" tonight. Find it hard to imagine that I could like the album as much as "An Overview ..." which (for reasons I've never really fathomed) meant the world to me during the pandemic or thereabouts.

yup, I love An Overview more than almost any album from the last few years and it was under my skin in mysterious ways - but I'd also always thought 'this might be a real one-off of where I am and what she's made, but that is totally cool and I am purely grateful'. But I'm really liking this so far and am very open for this one.

Like I'm weirdly ready to be disappointed but she doesn't - as I found upthread -

Just saw her live at End of the Road festival. I love this album - my favourite of the last year or two - & was a little worried that it wouldn't really translate (particularly to a festival stage) but, no, she was amazing, easily the best thing I saw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgczzmHDe20

she's good at alt rock too but i kinda wonder how all this stylistic variety is going to fit together on the album

I have the same concern too but I have faith that it'll work

album is good but not as special as an overview was and there's nothing as stunning as "hard drive". manages to make all its stylistic variety hang together well enough but it doesn't quite have the same atmosphere

ofc nothing as good as “Hard Drive” tho “Omakase” comes close imo and atmospherically, it’s different from Overview but in a good way, I certainly didn’t want the same

I really like the album, it’s a whole sonic world.

I'm really enjoying this. Get the 'doesn't hang together' commentary (and I'm not mad on the interludes as yet) but think it will coalesce over time.

I feel like it coheres pretty well, some of those bits recede into the background a bit for me but they contribute to the overall sense of a single work that kind of ebbs and swells.

It's wonderful. Full and shimmering with so much amazing imagery and humor. Her songwriting continues to impress; I love "Clams Casino" and "Aurora, IL" especially.

There are moments on this album where I find myself wondering “is it even possible for music to sound more beautiful than this”

this is really great so far, I kept seeing it get bumped but I was thinking it was for the jazz singer

Probably the album I've been most excited (pre-release) about for a while. So loved the last one. Feels less coherent and/or there's more I want to skip. I say this as a geek who bought The Ramble 12".

This is really great and I'm actually glad it's a departure from Overview.

I love "Clams Casino" and "Aurora, IL" especially.

Yeah these are the two I keep coming back to, but "Delphinium Blue" is up there too - so gorgeous.

jesus christ, why did i wait so long to listen to cassandra jenkins

idk but I was wondering where you were ivy

still nothing as good as Hard Drive on here but overall I actually like the new one more than Overview

“aurora, il”……. perfection

xpost same here. “hard drive” is incredible but I find there are way more memorable tracks on this one

“Omakase” is gorgeous

This whole album is so beautiful. My immediate favourite is Delphinium Blue. I'm wondering if it contains a sample of Caroline Polachek's Crude Drawing Of An Angel or if it's just very similar.

big Polachek vibes about it for sure

It kind of has the same drums and the "turn up, stay on task" spoken word part is so similar to the "red light, camera one, camera two" bit from the Caroline Polachek song.

They're both gorgeous.

getting early Neil Young guitar sounds on some of these songs.

Love, love, love "Delphinium Blue". Would happily never hear "Petco" or "Clams Casino" again. Strangely, was playing the bonus disc last night and really enjoyed it.

What? "Clams Casino" is so good!