057: Cassandra Jenkins - Omakase
Pull me apart
Put me back together again
If any two lines epitomised Cassandra Jenkins' astonishing breakthrough album An Overview of Phenomenal Nature it's those above. A gorgeous reflection on the triptych journey of loss, grief, and regrowth, it came at a time when Jenkins was all but ready to move on from music; a last throw of the dice that was loaded with everything she needed to say.
The finished document was GFP's Album of the Year for 2021, and the aforementioned words feel like a subtle nod to the voyage Jenkins has been on, appearing as they do here right in the heart of her much-anticipated and wholly wonderful new LP, My Light, My Destroyer.
The album is, once again, defined by its grace. Whether playful, knotty, or barely-there, the production is exquisite and it lays a vibrant, purpled-hued backdrop for Jenkins' simmering voice to dance across, lay down upon. Songs like 'Beteleguese' and 'Delphinium Blue' add new depth and textures, a gentle redefining of Overview's more linear passage, but such growth can be found wherever you look here and even the more tranquil moments that could have fitted into her previous work seem infused with clearers eyes, a bolder heart.
Take 'Omakase', the song that gifts the record its title. Lyrically uncomplicated, it nevertheless wraps all the elements of Jenkins' work together into one deftly show-stopping world of its own. Spoken word samples, rich instrumentation, a steady gaze that digs right into your chest, heavy and bright and full of wonder, it's one glorious moment of songwriting amid a flurry of such things.
You could call it the best thing released this year, and you'd probably be right, but such a label, for some reason, seems to diminish the achievement. Suffice it to say, the shapes we can make with a broken heart, the way we can carry on even when we can't see the journey for the mess in front of our eyes, is a truly wondrous thing. And it rarely sounds quite as wondrous as when it's channelled through the eloquent lungs and supple limbs of Cassandra Jenkins.
I dreamt you fed me
Omakase Berries
I dreamt we were coyotes
Licking the seeds off our teeth
And I woke up
In the heat of Phoenix
Wish you could've seen it.
My Light, My Destroyer is out now
~
three / six / five is a daily music-sharing project from gold flake paint;
read more about the idea here
If you're enjoying this content please consider a paid subscription
or you can leave a tip for us via ko-fi here
E m b r a c e
S i n c e r i t y
