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Trying to describe the musical trip that is VINE is close to impossible.
I received my copy of the record on vinyl and dropped the needle on it with no expectations; I had not been acquainted with Jen's music at all beforehand. The cover art foreshadows the mystical experience you are about to partake in, with Jen looking seductively outwards, her hair flying erratically behind her over a warm, dark background. This brazen vinyl is the way to go, as the theme could easily be lost with streaming or perhaps a CD. As the speakers began to softly fizz, my ears were greeted with the ambient, dream-pop production that captivated my ears for the entire album.
Atmospheric and hypnotic at first, Jen Gloeckner's vocals arrive as if she haunts you in the background of the production. Her voice falls somewhere between Stevie Nicks and Lana Del Rey, allowing the sultry and seductive play of her voice to weave melodies throughout each song. While the lyricism is there, the nature of her vocals could have you spellbound if she was singing the alphabet. This album is a huge transformation from Jen's previous work, as her previous work on the albums Miles Away and Mouth of Mars took a more acoustic folk approach.
This surreal theme is paramount throughout the entire 11-track LP, which should be listened to all the way through, as the journey seems to transition seamlessly from song to song.
At times, the production is overbearing and you become lost in the dreamscape Jen is trying to cast you in. Then, she reclaims your attention with songs like "Breathe," where she adds electrifying guitar rips and less-surreal production on her voice, which is alarmingly beautiful at times.
The backstory to the album is equally as enthralling, as Jen wrote and produced most of it from the comfort of her own bedroom. Listening to VINE is a literal take into Jen's world, as the songs read like a diary Jen wrote from her bed. Those cuts were then eventually sent to producer Brian McTear, who has worked with artists like Kurt Vile in the past, to put the final mixing touches on the record.
The album is hard to categorize, as it's mind bending production and instrumentation won't stay pinned down long enough for you to box it into a genre or movement. The comparisons to Lana Del Rey are pertinent here, especially when you relate it to comparable albums like Ultraviolence, where the vocals and instruments shine through, but at times become lost by exhausted efforts in production.
Having said that, it doesn't take away from what Jen Gloeckner accomplishes on the record. With VINE, she has something special and it makes for one of the more important albums of 2017.
Critics rating — 3.5/5
This article appears in Jul 6-13, 2017.