Here’s what I’ve discovered by way of several listens to the new Castanets album: In The Vines is a tricky little number indeed. I’ve been met with differing opinions of it with each visit, covering all bases from boredom to brilliance. Castanets, a misleading band name that conjures up images of upbeat rhythms, is actually an outlet for Ray Raposa’s (and an ever-changing stream of guests including Sufjan Stevens, St. Vincent and Jana Hunter) low-key, and often lo-fi, music. There’s no way around it – In The Vines is a gloomy affair. It was not surprising to learn that it was written and recorded during a time where Raposa battled bouts of depression, culminating in his being mugged at gunpoint outside his Brooklyn home. The album also highlights Raposa’s migratory existence; he seems to have a difficult time staying still, even when not on the road.

In The Vines opens with “Rain Will Come”, consisting of Raposa’s lone guitar and gravelly voice moaning “so it’s going to be sad, and it’s going to be long, and we already know the end of this song“. That is until we’re greeted with screeching transmission signals about halfway through and persisting to the end of the track; it seems we really didn’t know how the song would end after all. The tortured vocals continue on with the lo-fi “This Is The Early Game”, which introduces the steel guitar and accompanying vocals. “Westbound, Blue” cheers things up a bit with two minutes of twangy pep, but “Strong Animal” brings back the brood with muted percussion and Raposa’s monotone nasally vocals.

Most of the album traverses the same path that the first half suggests: haunting vocals, sparse arrangements, inventive percussion, and synth sounds. “The Night Is When You Can Not See” finally breaks this mold with a high-pitched tinkling piano and something even bordering on a melody. Raposa saves the best for last with “And The Swimming” – a gorgeous song centered around a kick drum and hand-clap mimicking drum machine. The odd percussion opens the track by itself and then anchors the dreamy guitar, keyboard and vocals until, fittingly, the track – and the album – ends on a solo drumbeat that still catches me by surprise every time.

In the end, I’ve decided that In The Vines is an album that requires a certain mood of the listener. It’s not an upbeat party album, and it’s not an album that will fade into the background. It is a very good piece of work with some innovative and appealing elements, but the overall depressing feel of the record makes it a very challenging listen.
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Links
Castanets [official site] [myspace] [buy it]