Categories : Folk + Roots, Music Reviews.
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Rating: 3.5/5 Released: October 23, 2007 Reviewer: Nathan Atnikov |
Castanets is the brainchild of San Diegan Raymond Raposa, whose latest album, In the Vines, combines perfect elements of Tom Waits-inspired folk and sombre alt-country. Vines is, for the most part, a subdued acoustic affair that finds Raposa wallowing in depression, but there are occasional splashes of different instrumentation that keeps the album from sinking into a pity-fest.
‘This is the Early Game’ is the finest moment, here, with subtle touches of brushed drumming and slide guitar. It seems as though Raposa is about to transcend the sadness of the album, before delving into ‘Westbound, Blue,’ a less than uplifting ditty which is sure to stop you in your tracks. The stunning ‘Three Months Paid’ comes accompanied by some computer blips and bleeps that add to the confusion and disjointedness of the emotional album.
The tribal drumming and spaghetti-western guitar of ‘Strong Animal’ provides a nice landscape change early on, but Raposa’s mood never wavers. This album reflects the lowest point of human emotions, but Raposa’s song-writing is so strong, it’s hard not to find a little bit of beauty tucked away in there somewhere.
