jasmine star
S/T
Well here is a riddle wrapped in an enigma. At Jasmine Star's official site we find only grainy photographs of a woman in a hospital gown who refuses to show her face. From what I can gather, there is also a fansite, jasminestar.org (which forbids me to see it, literally a 302 error) which offers conjecture that the singer 'Z' is a self-mutilating heroin addict who is currently institutionalized, and furthermore that the album itself was recorded on the down low behind the walls of the Austin mental hospital itself.
Not to sound jaded, but this reeks of some kind of hoax to me, especially since Jasmine Star managed to bust her out long enough to make it to the SXSW Festival on March 15th of this year. Then again, this album is five years old now. Perhaps Z made a recovery. You tell me, do these look like track marks? If it is some kind of hoax I would be really disappointed, as it would certainly cheapen the fact that this is some of the most brutally honest and introspective music I have ever heard.
If we cut through the nonsense here we are just left with the music, and the music is something worth looking into. This is an album that features track after track of narcoleptic singing framed by minor chords, electric slide guitar, bass, and the constant metallic drone of an indian tanpura. The only percussion is an occasional tamborine hit, and not much else serves to break up the downcast mood.
Suffice it to say, this is not an album to bust out at your next party. And even me, who generally loves the sort of music you might want to slit your wrists to, finds a few of the tracks here a bit too weepy, too smangy, and just too, well, something. But when Jasmine Star are on, like on the riveting Guide Us it is truly a wonderful thing to behold. If you enjoy feeling sorry for yourself, being completely listless, and wondering why your life sucks so bad (and don't we all sometimes?) throw this album on and you will soon forget whatever bullshit problems you had before.
At least you're not an institutionalized heroin addict...
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Sunday May 18, 2008 4:26 am
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