(An Overview On) An Overview On Phenomenal Nature

Pitchfork(Best New Music)でも絶賛された2021年話題作の未発表デモ / セッション音源集!!ELEANOR FRIEDBERGERや、CRAIG FINN、そしてLOLA KIRKEなどのツアーメンバーとして活動し、2017年に『PLAY TILL YOU WIN』をリリースしソロ・デビューを果たしたニューヨークの女性シンガーソングライター。2021年にリリースされ、各所で話題を呼んだ『AN OVERVIEW ON PHENOMENAL NATURE』の未発表デモ / セッション音源をまとめたアルバムがCD / LPリリース!

Five years after her debut album, Cassandra Jenkins returns with Overview on Phenomenal Nature, a stunning work of impressionistic connections, contradictions, and observations all stitched together into a web of graceful dream folk. A native New Yorker with years of collaboration under her belt, Jenkins grew up within the East Coast folk community, singing and playing guitar in her familys string band before beginning a solo career in the mid-2010s. Along the way, she also cut her teeth as a session player, touring with Eleanor Friedberger, Lola Kirke, and Craig Finn. She also joined David Bermans Purple Mountains project and began rehearsing with them for a tour that was ultimately canceled after the singers tragic death in 2019. Themes of loss and healing reverberate throughout the album, especially on the hushed Ambiguous Norway and the gorgeous standout New Bikini, a pair of tracks in which Berman plays a significant role. The latter songs gentle sway and nods to the restorative power of water make it feel more palliative than mournful, a trait that could be applied to the album as a whole. From the outset, Jenkins conveys a soothing sense of intimacy that draws listeners into her small odysseys where museum guards wax philosophical on humanitys connection to nature (Hard Drive) and the letting go can be found in the arms of a stranger (Michelangelo). Yet in spite of its intimacy, theres an expansive, wide-open quality to producer Josh Kaufmans arrangements which ripple with ambient synths, strings, and some stellar sax and flute work from ubiquitous local hero Stuart Bogie. With her tranquil voice and astute poetic sense, Jenkins flirts with melancholy, joy, sorrow, and wonder in a way that is both cerebral and touching. Her songwriting talent and willingness to experiment was already evident on 2017s Play til You Win, but the perfect balance of exploration and poignancy on Overview make it a significant step forward for her. ~ Timothy Monger