psychedelic Folk review page : Cabinet of Natural Curiosities

private Cabinet of Natural Curiosities : Vineland EP (US,2006)***°

This beautiful, descriptive name is the multi-art project (visual art, poetry and music) lead by Jasmine Dreame Wagner. Live, and on her, until now, limited editions of privately released recordings, she is/was accompanied by a number of persons (Nathan Purrbot, Scott Kennedy, Brandon Shimoda, Andy Smetanka, Matthew Trygve Tung, Rachel Hartman, Kathy Wasik, Anne Guthrie, Jonathan Zalben, Joe Price, Armando Jaramillo Garcia, B.C. O'Neil, Jank Darger, Wayne Coin, Joseph Edward Martin, Ryan Thomas Martin). Besides she shared stages and performed with Wooden Wand and The Vanishing Voice. But she has her own vision and talent that deserves to be heard.

Many songs have delicate fingerpicking guitar spins, with additional help on glockenspiel, birds, amplified guitar, or a bit of percussion. Also her singing is also sweet and delicate. In between songs are instrumentals, often larger band affairs, (a bit of amplified guitar, percussion, bass, keyboards, flute,..) with its own organic, structured improvisation, with a spiritual feeling here and there. A few tracks are combined with kind of sweetened industrial, experimental sounds of percussion, found percussion or scraped strings, without ever losing the poetic art feeling. Each track has a natural variation. The way in which experimental sounds, fingerpicking also in composition ("Beas over Seas") comes to life is a special experience.

Recommended to acid/wyrd/psychfolk lovers.

Audio : "Calico","Beas over Seas" & on http://www.myspace.com/jasminedreamewagner

private Cabinet of Natural Curiosities : Black Wolf Dancers Play Galaxy Of No Stars (US,2005)**

This is a live recording (recorded at Soupean Space) of an improvised group under the same name, consisting of Jasmine Dreame Wagner, Ryan T. Martin, Joseph E.Martin, Wayne Coin, B.C.O'Neil and Jank Darger. It is in fact something completely different, and is a rather loose jam. Especially the percussion is played by blown away heads. The piano rambles, with some aggression, the bass plays nervous waiting room rhythms, and the plucks and experimental sounds are like a wardrobe search. Vocals appear like recalling woodworms while foot stamps and wooden claps scrunches them. Last track is like a scalp of an native Indian ritual speaking, scraping strings like ripping off flesh, with tomtoms on tamtam, and bits of lalalu singing words..

Official albums of C.O.N.C. will be out soon by Perhaps Transparent, Friendly Biceps & Workerbee Records. I will keep you informed !!

Audio : "Black Wolf Dancers Play Chariot Of Pale Fire", "Black Hole Son Emerges From The Cosmic Leviathan"

Info with sound : http://www.last.fm/music/Cabinet+of+Natural+Curiosities

Homepage : http://www.cabinetofnaturalcuriosities.com/ &

http://www.myspace.com/jasminedreamewagner

private Cabinet of Natural Curiosities : Glass / Grass EP (US,2007)***'

This new release presented in an envelope with an illustrated graphic art booklet with hidden colourful leafs has just two sections of tracks, an electric part, in a Can/Neu! way, with percussion and guitars, switches with a musical box theme to a whispery song with bird and other sounds, accompanied by amplified guitar. Between the loneliness of city, and inspirations of birds and a winter forest, the illustrations reveal this like the context for this music. Also musically it is as if with all this a small flower is revealed.

Homepage : http://www.cabinetofnaturalcuriosities.com/

& http://www.myspace.com/jasminedreamewagner