Spectacular Of Passages begins where her last record The Fleeting Skies left off; with Samara tending the pastures of psychedelic pop with a host of cohabitators along side. In addition to founding the legendary trio Hall Of Fame Samara has also played with Metabolismus, Tower Recordings & Salmon Skin, has collaborated with Sonora Pine, White Magic, Jackie O-Motherfucker and has recorded The Firey Furnaces, Double Leopards, Sightings & Magik Markers. Perhaps this best explains how when she is flying her own banner, she is never at a loss for collaborators. This record began at the Sumsilobatem compound in the hills of Stuttgart, Germany as the final fleeting days of summer passed. Doubling as the home base for the psych band Metabolismus the studio was also the perfect starting point for Samara as she was able to work with an array of forgotten analog instruments and the location provided her with the equally exploratory collaborators Moritz Finkbeiner, Werner Notzel, Robert Steng, and Thilo Khun. With a solid month of basic tracking done on the recordings, Samara returned to Brooklyn, tapes under arm and began working at The Rare Book Room where she moonlights as an engineer. Being back in NYC allowed her to introduce a whole new set of long time collaborators into the mix including PG Six, Tim Barnes, Hamish Kilgoer & Mark Moore as well as a band of string players to augment her own violin tracks. Nicholas Vernhes, main engineer at The Rare Book Room mixed the record, bringing out the delicate arrangements of melodic interplay, intricate string sections and the matador trumpet of Gary Olson. The resulting cycle of songs; in the end blends perfectly together, a summit of players lofting together in the heights of orchestrated pop. What all these elements have added up to is cycle of songs that are almost deceptive in their catchiness. Layers of sound that are delicate without being frail and create atmospheres of depth within her pieces. They do not rely on the virtuosity of the players, but on them unifying with each other and the words to create an ambience that is gentle and pulls you deeper into its folds. When it ends you are carried along on its last currents.
Samara Lubelski
Spectacular of Passages
[The Social Registry; 2005]
Rating: 6.5
Can music get any gentler than this? Spectacular of Passages isn't "soft" in the sense of "soft rock" or "the quiet is the new loud"; carving her own niche of idyllic bedroom psychedelia, Samara Lubelski's newest takes pop orchestrations to levels of insulation previously unimagined-- it's as though she recorded her murmured symphony inside a down pillow and comforter.
Unlike de rigueur solo folkies, Lubelski isn't afraid to surround herself with an airy "teenage symphony to god" army. According to the liner notes, there are 15 participants here, not including the multi-instrumental, knob-turning Lubelski. Donning headphones, it's fascinating to try charting the ingenious ways she tucks and repositions the players into such a precise sound. The album was recorded between Germany and Brooklyn with a cast that includes some of her ex-Tower Recordings chums: P.G. Six on baroque flute and 12-string and Tim Barnes on drums/percussion. Among the other guests are Matt Heyner of No Neck Blues Band on upright bass and Espers' cellist Helena Espvall. Of course, Lubelski comes armed with everything from guitar and violin to poppi shakers, mellotron, and her lovely voice.
For those who don't recognize Samara's name-- well, shame on you. Actually, no, she's such an understated, ethereal figure (think 4AD taken down a notch) that her relative anonymity makes sense. Still, she's been doing great things for a long time, whether fronting the trio Hall of Fame, playing internationally with Metabolismus, or working as an engineer at Brooklyn's Rare Book Room where she recorded the Fiery Furnaces and Magik Markers, among others. Her history with Tower Recordings was mentioned above, and she's also collaborated with everyone from Tara Jane O'Neil and White Magic to Jackie-O Motherfucker and Tony Conrad.
Lubelski's 2004 solo album, The Fleeting Skies, was a favorite of mine when it was released. It's unfortunate to report that besides Spectacular of Passage's opener, "Lick 'n Leap", its neighbor "Sister Silver", and "Broken Links", this collection doesn't provide the same Technicolor chills and crushed velvet hooks as its predecessor.
Judging from its luster, The Fleeting Skies aligned itself more with sunrises, whereas Spectacular evokes a powdered duskiness. There's plenty of beauty, but last time around the hooks were sharper, more defined. There's less temptation to sing along now; but then, perhaps these are mumbled good nights. (Images are often kinda blurred when you turn out the lights.) The gorgeous "Orion"'s syrupy whispers could very well be an eventide offering to the constellation that gave it a name-- but eventually Mr. Sandman hits you upside the head with his goods.
Don't misunderstand sleepiness as boredom. Spectacular of Passages can be a rich experience, and there are a number of strong moments. The album's so tight it has a tendency to close in on itself, but when you do duck your head inside there are plenty of, well, spectacular passages. Let me equivocate a bit more: I'd be curious to see what'd happen if Lubelski's magisterial sonic precision was taken for a more arresting ride-- more cracked, splintered, or rusted-- because what we have now is a beautiful, precious music box or curio that you won't be compelled to open that often.
-Brandon Stosuy, January 27, 2006
Review by Jason MacNeil
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