free music friday: cabinet of natural curiosities

Jasmine Dreame Wagner is a pretty awesome name, combining natural, illusory and classical associations, so it’s perhaps a given that a person who inherits such a unique handle would go on to create the totally immersive art of the kind that Cabinet Of Natural Curiosities indulges in. Released on June 9th through For Arbors Records, Searchlight Needles is Jasmine’s first official full-length album (her fifth release overall) under this Albertus Seba referencing epithet, and is rather more song-based than some of her previous releases. The field recordings are very much still a part of the equation, as ‘Grass’ demonstrates with wind chimes, the distant rumble of a train, and a constant backdrop of bird calls and chirrups.

The lyrics reveal a bittersweet letter to a man (perhaps a lover) who has lost his father, and is full of beautifully economical poetry that evokes a time of change and intense personal reflection. “You’ll lie down on the butter-coloured grass / watch the crows sweeping down from the lights,” sings Jasmine in hushed, dreamy tones as the scattershot squawks draw you into the scenario. The most immediate comparison in this instance is Jane Herships (aka Spider), whose stunning mini album The Way To Bitter Lake is very much in the same musical vein, and even vocally there is some similarity. Julie Doiron lovers will no doubt cherish it too.

Searchlight Needles
01 Little Ice Age
02 Sun
03 For Sparrow
04 Cities
05 Moon
06 Glass
07 Grass
08 Fabulist Decay
09 Black Water
10 Owllullaby

FREE MP3: Cabinet Of Natural Curiosities, ‘Grass’ [via Last.fm]

BONUS MP3: Cabinet Of Natural Curiosities, ‘For Sparrow’ [via Last.fm]
BONUS MP3: Cabinet Of Natural Curiosities, ‘Owllullaby’ [via Last.fm]

visit Jasmine on Myspace

Written by: Alan Pedder

Tags: cabinet of natural curiosities, searchlight needles

This entry was posted on Friday, July 17th, 2009 at 9:03 am and is filed under All A/V, free music friday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.