Mega Dodo 2015
Rainflower
Out of THE HONEY POT and into the fire: dewy mellifluous haziness that gets humid and hot.
Whatever images this singer’s name may conjure, all of them come alive – slowly but surely – on Crystal’s second full-length solo album. Less psych-inclined on her own then within the collective’s she’s been leading since 2012, Jacqueline’s songs explore the world of dreams and the force of nature, although the reality is firmly grasped here, as the rocking centerpiece “In My Chair” suggests. Yet that’s exactly where the droning riff of opener “Siren” calls the listener – into the fuzzy mist sliced by a slide guitar and stitched by multi-tracked vocals, so sleepiness is quite deceptive when there’s a groove underneath.
As a result, the delicate ripple of “Water Hyacinth” reveals a firm resolve, and the otherwise ethereal “Strange Bloom” swirls on a solid bass foundation. Dancing around the seasons, from the raga-spiked twang of “Daisy Chains” to the crawling creep of “Winter Deep,” even the slower cuts don’t end up in a glacial gloss, weaving instead an elvish enchantment rooted in folk and oozing, although secretly, blues. On such a background, “Grantchester Meadows” pales, albeit a female perspective gives this FLOYD cover a spring slant whence the title ballad flows gently to welcome the wonder of “Again… Dragonfly” which draws the darkness for the perfect end-of-day evocation, A hymnal experience.
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