CD Review : Zoe Boekbinder – Artichoke Perfume
When the Boekbinder sisters of Vermillion Lies announced that they were parting ways to work on solo projects, my heart skipped a beat. Mostly because the end of a good band is always a strange event and even when it’s not forever, solo projects can be very obscure and not live up to the wonderful alchemy the members used to have together.
A week ago A few months** ago, I received Zoe Boekbinder’s solo album, Artichoke Perfume in a wonderfully decorated envelop, which is usual in the Vermillion Lies world. After admiring the lovely (signed and personalized!) poster that came with the album, I popped the CD in my stereo, sat down and let the music fill the void of my room.
From the first acoustic guitar chord and brass band notes of Paralizing, I knew I was in for a nice adventure. Then comes in Zoe’s instantly recognizable voice and her first words : “When you go you don’t look back“. They may sound like a warning but they’re an invitation to enter her world, its imagery and atmosphere; quite an experience.
While Paralizing ends in a whole wurlitzer and harmonies glory, Wooden Spoon goes back to simple a guitar/voice/piano combo that’s joined by playful percussions to render an almost bluesy feeling later down the road. The Adventures of Turtle & Seahorse is filled with handclaps, wurlitzer, trumpet and a good love story, sad though. Funeral may not sound as a positive song but the poppy chorus proves otherwise “just because I’m dead doesn’t mean that I can’t love“.
December follows up in overlaying voices over guitar before Chocolat Chips will have you tap your foot to the beat that will keep up on Inexorably, another love song that you’ll spell and clap along to in no time. Typewriter calms down the atmosphere and people familiar with Zoe will recognize this song as it was on her Shoestrings EP though this is a reworked version that fits perfectly on the album. Brasses welcome you to Skeletons and it’s syncoped drum pattern that’s so jazzy it fills up the room with greatness before eclipsing before Going Home and Mean, sweet guitar-voice tunes that put Zoe’s voice back right in the spotlight for the best.
Artichoke Perfume is a wonderful versatile album that can be classified as pop, folk, jazz and all of the above at the same time. Overall, it’s very positive and filled with love and contagious positive energy. Definitely an CD to check out for gloomy days and the rest of the year, too.
Inexorably :
Skeletons :
Going Home :
Visit Zoe Boekbinder on her official website.
Buy Artichoke Perfume on CD Baby (they’re super friendly and ship worldwide!).
**This review was started in September but due to lack of time was just finished on December 30.
mel :: Dec.30.2009 :: Artichoke Perfume, CD Review, Zoe Boekbinder :: No Comments »
