Being a pop culture publication we get a lot of interesting thing sent our way to take a look at. But one of the coolest things to come into to office was Vine the latest album from Jen Gloeckner and Spinning Head Records. We were lucky enough to score the vinyl release and spent the past few days letting the melodic tones soak in.
The albums 11 tracks flow into each other in this almost surreal way that can best be described as being lost in ones own consciousness. The entire album feels almost otherworldly and drew people into the office whenever it was on. Some said it sounded like the ambient tones that you might hear in some post-modern indie film, while others called to mind the sounds of a 1980s space soundtrack.
And that feeling is only coming from the sounds that flowed from our ancient turntable. Once you get past the music and start to break down the lyrical content, you find that Gloeckner has a story to tell, but does so subtlety and in a way that manages to stick with you. It’s up to the listener to take away the deeper meaning, and with lines like “The colors of you are my design/ But I can’t choose what’s in your mind” they really connect with what many of us have experienced in our lives at one point or another.
Vine is most interesting when you approach it not as a traditional album, but instead as more an expression of art. This isn’t an album that is looking to cater to the widest possible audience, instead it feels like an expression of the feelings and emotions of the artist herself. And knowing that Gloeckner recorded the entire album in her bedroom is even more impressive because of the rich sound of the record.
I’m not a traditional music reviewer, so I can’t really get into the intricacies of meaning and style choices, but I am a former traveling musician and understand when something is special. Vine is a complete experience that is backed by lyrical choices that linger with long after the album ends.
While Vine might not be the sort of album that you toss on the turntable on a regular basis, it is something that will stay with you longer than one would expect. There is music going on around here all the time, with traditional radio pop being the most popular, and yet people who have only heard snippets of Vine still talk about days after they heard it.
Vine is available as a digital album, CD and 12″ Vinyl via Bandcamp. You can take a listen to the title track from the album as well as a few other tracks below, but be warned that you might find yourself hooked like we were.
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