Cassandra Jenkins – My Light, My Destroyer (LP, Pink Clear Wave)
Cassandra Jenkins' 2021 release, An Overview on Phenomenal Nature, was a quietly dazzling and impressionistic set that bubbled up into the indie mainstream enough to land on several prominent year-end lists. The critical accolades were justly earned, and fans responded to her glowing, intimate songs about loss, healing, and the connections between nature and humanity. But with greater public attention comes increased pressure, and over the next two years she struggled to develop the follow-up album she wanted to make.
A nearly finished version of it was scrapped and then re-recorded in a wild two-week burst with producer Andrew Lappin, resulting in this 13-song song set released on Dead Oceans. Although more experimental and stylistically varied, My Light, My Destroyer plays like an emotional sequel to An Overview, exploring similar human themes from different angles. Loneliness, aging, and the exhausting search for hope propel "Clams Casino," a midtempo standout with a punchy Aimee Mann feel.
Jenkins zooms between the micro and the macro on "Aurora, IL," describing her frustration at losing tour dates to a COVID diagnosis while philosophically musing about William Shatner's 2021 space flight aboard billionaire Jeff Bezos' rocket. As a lyricist, she is both soulful and observant, describing her inner and outer worlds with abstract poignancy, and at times even playfulness. "The walls are blushing landlord pink, the dishes pile up, my heart sinks," she half-whispers on the '90s-inspired alt-rocker "Petco."
Even if the tempos never quite pick up, there is plenty of sonic variance throughout the set with intriguing field-recorded interludes and instrumentals, the most endearing of which is "Betelgeuse," which features a candid stargazing conversation between Jenkins and her mother. The dreamy "Delphinium Blue" is another highlight, falling somewhere between the art-pop of Laurie Anderson and the Blue Nile's cool sophisti-pop. Her previous album was a breakout success for good reason, but My Light, My Destroyer succeeds in all the right ways, pushing Jenkins' songcraft ever forward and expanding her already impressive catalog.
Label: Dead Oceans – DOC346LP-C1
Country: USA & Europe
Media Condition: Mint (M)
Sleeve Condition: Mint (M)
Sealed