Describing Cabinet of Natural Curiosities' new album Searchlight Needles is just as difficult as fighting a huge grizzly bear. NO--make that two grizzly bears! That's why it's taken me five days to write this. It's a confusing listen, very confusing. There's just so much going on that I really didn't expect to hear. Like Hella's (or Zach Hill's) Church Gone Wild; there are so many things you can hear all coming towards you, like a stampede... OF GRIZZLY BEARS! But in this case, Searchlight Needles does have a lot going on, don't get me wrong, but everything is very subtle. It'll take you some listens to catch on to what you're hearing.
You may not think that on your first listen of Searchlight Needles though. You'll just think, oh well it's just a girl with an acoustic guitar. I can go to the park and hear that for free everyday because we all know hippies thrive in local parks. But Jasmine Dream Wagner's (Cabinet of Natural Curiosities) music is written completely different. It sounds like she tries to stay away from any joy or sunshine in her music and focus on just the darkness of it, very much like Grouper. But even then, the music doesn't end up sounding like Grouper. It's not as ethereal and the singing isn't made to blend in with its ambient soundscapes. The vocals just sort of sing over it, as if she's telling a story.
Now keep in mind, this is a folk album. Even though it is, its time isn't really devoted to the folk side as it is the ambient/drone side. When you hear the term "drone" you may think of just unsettling noise that makes you wonder why you're listening to it. Cabinet of Natural Curiosities does make it unsettling, but it's very mild. It's hard to describe. It's unsettling but it's softly orchestrated. A good example would be the 11-minute-epic "Glass": everything is played very slowly and builds. It doesn't get any faster but the ambience (the hushed keyboard, the wah-wah guitar and feedback) grows to the point where it completely takes the helm of the song, overcoming the drums and vocals.
Soon after that, the album innocently goes back to its folk side, removing any memory of that noise that you just heard. Now, the most popular track from this album (according to last.fm) is the finale "Owllullaby" which is the closest to today's folk as Searchlight Needles will ever get. It does have a sense of happiness to it. Acoustic guitar, xylophone; I can't help but say it sounds like a car commercial soundtrack. Not to be mean, but try muting your TV the next time a Honda Civic pops up and play "Owllullaby" and you'll catch my drift. This is probably one of the most focused albums of the year, and I just might mention this in December. It's totally worth listening to and I bet it'll hypnotize you and make you sell every single Iron & Wine LP that you own.
awesome, thanks!
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