4.0
excellent
Review
by Sunnyvale STAFF
July 10th, 2024 | 17 replies
Release Date: 07/12/2024 | Tracklist
Review Summary: Knocked on every door, until one opened
Looking back, Cassandra Jenkinsâ An Overview On Phenomenal Nature was one of 2021âs standout records. Marking a significant advance from her already lovely little debut record released four years prior, it revealed an artist truly coming into her own - its New Age-y take on shimmering ambient pop emerging fully-formed, mourning the loss of Jenkinsâ tour mate David Berman through a string of thoughtfully philosophical songs anchored by one of the most transcendent tunes of the century so far (âHard Driveâ). Given all that, it came as quite the surprise to me to learn, while reading the promotional materials for the artistâs third album, that Jenkins had originally intended to close out her musical career following her sophom*ore effort. In short, An Overview On Phenomenal Nature was an âintended swan songâ, in its creatorâs own words, rather than the unforgettable announcement of an emerging indie star I perceived it as.
Fortunately, Jenkins ultimately reconsidered her plans - otherwise, we wouldnât be here, with me writing about the singer-songwriterâs latest offering, the grandly-titled My Light, My Destroyer. I say âfortunatelyâ, because this is a very, very, very good album. But, weâll start with my one criticism of the record - this is a rather unfocused listen. This assessment is perhaps easily explainable given this album emerged from a rush of revitalized creative energy after Jenkins decided to continue her musical career, even while incorporating a number of songs sheâd been holding onto for a while, unreleased. In the end, the sense of direction is often a bit unclear here - at times, Jenkins seems to be envisioning this release as a rock-ier album (she cites Tom Petty, PJ Harvey, and The Bends among a lengthy list of influences), at others the tunes inhabit the sedate and languid climes sheâd previously explored with such success on her previous LP. And, throughout, there are also a lot of interludes - by my count, five of the albumâs thirteen tracks arenât exactly âsongsâ in the conventional sense.
This isnât to say that nothing binds together My Light, My Destroyer as an album rather than a simple collection of unrelated songs - the titular dichotomy, which is repeatedly sung in the recordâs elegant centerpiece âOmakaseâ, finds resonance throughout in Jenkinsâ balancing of cosmic and personal themes - for all the lyricism about space-time, planets, and meteorites, these songs are equally about the ornate inner workings of human hearts and souls. But still, thereâs a certain choppiness to the tracklist - bouncy rockers like âClams Casinoâ and âPetcoâ stand out dramatically against the plush dreaminess of âDevotionâ and âTape And Tissueâ, and besides the (awesome) initial three song run, the rest of the album finds interlude-ish tracks breaking up the flow regularly. Iâll note that these respites arenât without merit - the ending of the spoken word segment in âBetelgeuseâ is oddly affecting (âDid we see it? Someone didâ¦â) and, if Google Translate can be trusted, the French of âAttente Telephoniqueâ has a lovely poetic lonesomeness to it - but thereâs no denying that the tracklist feels less cohesive overall than it might.
Setting aside any gripes about the albumâs unwieldiness, though, this is an absolutely gorgeous record. Indeed, it measures up quite well to its worthy predecessor, even if their respective strengths and weaknesses are arranged differently. While An Overview On Phenomenal Nature was a tight record which thrived via a rich atmosphere accentuated by a smattering of incredible moments (plus that one all-timer highlight tune), My Light, My Destroyer might be more scattershot in presentation, but its display of brilliance is also more wide-ranging. Here, the arrangements deserve credit, rich and imbued with various strings and woodwinds, but never feeling overly busy. Jenkinsâ voice is absolutely gorgeous (as always), but even more than usual she displays an utter mastery of the material, giving just the perfect delivery to get the most of each lyric. And those lyrics are very good, both quite meaningful and ripe with memorable turns of phrase - âI saw two doves, wrapped up in filthy and true loveâ or âpunch the clock in the faceâ or âstick figure Sisyphusâ for the win. Iâve already noted that the much-regretted interludes have their share of positives, but the full-blown songs are, without fail, of notable merit. Jenkins pulls off the more energetic tunes impressively (âClams Casinoâ, in particular, is a total jam), while also shining in the more subdued ambient pop mode of tracks like âDevotionâ, âDelphinium Blueâ, and âOmakaseâ. And then thereâs âOnly Oneâ, a late-album standout which dips into a more pop-centric groove. In the end, though, itâs âAurora, ILâ which might be the finest song on offer, managing to impressively fuse the dreamier and rock-ier tendencies on display here into one marvelous tune. Its narrative threads the line between lonely and existential, while retaining a certain irresistible beauty, a surefire confirmation of my gut sense from three years ago that this artist deserves consideration as an essential voice in the music scene. Warts and all, My Light, My Destroyer is an accomplished effort, and given the context of its release, Iâm very happy we get to listen to it.
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