Downtempo (who still remembers trip-hop?) has become such a formulaic genre that whenever somebody lists a certain album or an artist under such a category, you immediately get a general idea what to expect. It has taken the place once primarily held by Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon - something to test your hi-fi equipment. Invention and originality that were in abundance before seem to have, like Elvis, left the building.
I can hardly remember more than two names that were loosely put into that category (even though they had only remote connections with the genre) that were intriguing and worth more careful listen - Soley’s Endless Summer and Wilsen’s I Go Missing In My Sleep. And here comes the third one, yet again from a female artist, Jen Gloeckner, and it is her third album, Vine. There’s not that much touching ground between the three, except that they are all excellent and can remotely be classified into a similar musical category. Oh, and they are all perfect late night listening.
Each has its particular individuality and musical concept. Gloeckner’s concept is a bit darker and brooding with a completely thought and worked out arrangements that give the music a widescreen, almost cinematic touch. A part of the accolades probably go to Gloeckner’s collaborators here, like Henry Padovani (who happens to be one of the founding members of The Police) and Angela Mattson, but particularly Psychedelic Furs guitarist John Ashton. Still, this is mainly Jen’s show, because she happens to write exceptional songs and has a soothing voice that avoids those high registers so often characteristic of the music that is characterized as downtempo.
Gloeckener doesn’t shy from relying on a scary moment here and there, like in Firefly (War Dance), the song title revealing what you can expect, dark shadows and bright lights replacing each other every second. Personal favorites are Breathe and particularly Ginger Ale with its multi-layered vocals and gently understated instrumentation. But frankly, there isn’t a single miss on this album making it one of the more rewarding listens recently. Jen Gloeckner deserves all the attention she can get.
