pepi ginsberg: red

In the two years since Wears The Trousers first came across Pepi Ginsberg by way of her extraordinary debut album Orange Juice: Stephanie/Stephanie, a terrific exposition of her delicate, inspiring lyrical talent and dark, bluesy voice far beyond her years, it seems that she’s been busy developing her sound. Her new release, Red, sets a very different tone from its predecessor. A lovingly made, enthusiastic collaboration with fellow Philadelphian, producer Scott McMicken (Dr Dog), Red is a more extravagant record. Ginsberg’s free-spirited vocals are presented in a much more embedded context, with barely altered, natural-sounding instruments and reverb-free atmospherics helping to give the songs a quirky and uplifting feel.

The rhythmical, slightly spooky opener ‘Son’ maintains a constant air of significance and tone as Ginsberg’s sometimes desperate-sounding vocals ring out over piano and eerie pedal steel, chanting arresting snippets of poetry. Uncompromising across its six-minute duration, it makes for a richly sincere beginning. Immediately after, ‘The Waterline’ draws the listener into a very different, uplifting space. And space is important here; the song is positively cluttered with curiously placed backing vocals that drop in and out of the steady rhythm, underpinned by a repetitive, slightly out of tune piano motif. “I hold my head above the waterline,” she sings almost lazily but with effortless cool, “what’s the point in going under, I’d still feel the tide”.

If that’s not arty enough for you, the urgency of ‘The Contortionist’ comes swaddled in almost muffled production, as if a curtain has been drawn around the microphone. Still, her voice cuts through the velvet, while the arrangement allows for a certain degree of alarm to ring through. The brilliant ‘In My Bones’ quickly follows, showing off Ginsberg’s scarily wise vocals amid shuffling percussion and a ragged old piano. The tranquil pleasure is heightened as the instruments fall away to expose her knowing voice only to rise up again into a vibrating, ravishing Nimanesque outro with ominous strings and distantly perky brass.

‘Nothing More’ is much more reminiscent of early Ginsberg compositions. Accompanied by only simple guitar, roomy tambourine and her yielding voice, the song’s summery feel gives it an air of innocent vagueness with some kind of realisation dawning on the horizon. But Ginsberg soothes with sweet promises of living in the moment. “Stay with me till the sky turns blue,” she sings with passion, “at least for tonight, if nothing more.”

The hazy, dreamlike ‘Shone Like A Reverie’ and the messy swagger of ‘Wind Or Degree’ provide further upbeat moments, but the closing duo of ‘Ghosts Of Perdition’ and ‘White White White’ find Ginsberg at her most toe tapping. Still, it’s the softer approach of ‘Lately’ that really demonstrates the fruits of Ginsberg and McMicken’s musical partnership. Given an Appalachian flavour by virtue of a well-placed banjo, the down-to-earth production gives full rein to Ginsberg’s exemplary way with tone and language.

An arty pop gem, Red is a definite transition from Ginsberg’s invigorating but sparse debut. But she never sounds anything less than entirely authentic. Rather, her clever feel for arrangements and delicate approach to emotional transparency marks her out even more as something truly special indeed.

[Park The Van; available on import only]

Written by: Anja McCloskey

Tags: anja mccloskey, pepi ginsberg

This entry was posted on Monday, July 7th, 2008 at 11:31 pm and is filed under albums & EPs, reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.