Diane Cluck is a modern American folk artist from Pennsylvania, who was a part of the anti-folk scene in New York in the early 2000s. She describes her music as “intuitive folk”, and according to her Wikipedia page, has made music in the neofolk and freak folk realms as well. I’m a big fan of anti-folk artists like Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Tess Parks as well. Admittedly, I really dig Newcombe’s and Parks’ sounds and styles, but I haven’t necessarily ventured too much further into that anti-folk genre. On Apple Music, this album, Oh Vanille / Ova Nil (2004), which is Cluck’s fourth album, is labeled as traditional folk. I’m pretty stoked to give this album a listen, so with that said I’m going to jump on into the music.
“All I Bring You Is Love” starts out with a gentle acoustic guitar that gradually gets louder and seemingly more intricate as the song continues. Oh wow, I’m really digging Cluck’s voice. Wow, the inflection in Cluck’s vocal performance is super sweet, interesting, and complements the guitar playing quite nicely. I think I’m really going to dig this album. Wow, great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
Oh wow, “Half a Million Miles from Home” starts out with such a gentle acoustic guitar part, much like the first song. Holy smokes, her vocals have such an interesting, flavorful mystique behind them, which harkens back to the more singer/songwriter folk oriented songs from the 1960s. Wow, there seems to be a counterpoint between the vocals and the guitar, making me increasingly interested in the music. Great song.
Oh wow, “Telepathic Desert” the light, gentle acoustic guitar at the beginning of the track seems to have a different flavor from previous tracks, though still carries a similar sentiment. The combination of the vocals and guitar seems to evoke a lonely cloud that seems to gradually journey over a hot, dry desert, and eventually arriving on the other side of said desert. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Easy to Be Around” has the gentle acoustic guitar at the start that is a bit more in line with the first couple of tracks. Holy smokes, this track is groovy. Holy smokes, the layered harmonization of Cluck’s vocals adds a far out flavor to the track and the album that I’m really digging. Oh wow, the soundscape seems to get bigger and bigger with the layered vocals and the buzzes and seemingly increasingly playing from the acoustic guitar. Oh wow, awesome tune.
Oh wow, “The Turnaround Time” almost seems to have a bit of a Spanish-inflection to the playing style of the acoustic guitar in this track. Oh wow, I love the vocal delivery. The different vocal lines sometimes stay beyond what you might expect based on the guitar work, which only increasing the sweetness of the line and my interest in the track. Oh wow, I’m really digging this track. Intuitive folk seems to be a very apt description of the musical genre. Oh wow, I’m almost reminded a bit of John Mayer in a super roundabout way. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Sandy Rae” has a super lovely acoustic guitar part that the song begins with, which reminds me of a musical version of gentle waves of the ocean washing against a sandy beach shore. Oh wow, the layers of vocals in this track add a sort of beautiful dissonance as the different vocal lines seem to depart and come back together. Wow, awesome tune.
“Bones and Born Again” starts out with a slowly developing, gentle acoustic guitar part at the start of this track. Oh wow, the simplicity of this track compared to the previous song seems to add a layer of complexity to the album as a whole. Oh wow, as the vocals seem to come to a crescendo of sorts just as the guitar moves into an earthy and folksy chord progression. Oh wow, the song continually evolves as the music continues. Wow, great track.
Oh wow, “Petite Roses” is an a-cappella at the beginning of the track, comprised of super sweet layerings of Cluck’s vocals. Wow, super sweet tune.
Oh wow, “Hold Together (Let Go If You Will)” has a super interesting acoustic guitar section at the beginning of the tune, which seems to have an epic, narrative folksy feel, and also a bit of a Spanish/raga-inflection to some extent. Oh wow, the vocals come in, and seem to swim around in the earthy, folksy musical waves created by acoustic guitar. Holy smokes, Cluck’s vocals have a nearly enchanting sound in this track. I’m honestly reminded of Maynard Keenan if he were singing an acoustic version of a TOOL song, to some extent. Wow, awesome song.
“Yr Million Sweetnesses” begins with a gentle acoustic guitar that reminds me of British folk music. Holy smokes, I’m really digging this track at the moment. I’m sort of reminded of a psychedelic folk band from the 2000s, Espers, in this track. Wow, great tune.
Oh wow, “Wild Deer at Dawn” has a sound with the acoustic guitar and vocals that seems to evoke an early summer morning’s view of an undisturbed forest. Oh wow, I’m really digging this track. Holy smokes, the sweetness from Cluck’s vocals is nearly tangible. Oh wow, there also seems to be a delicate piano of some sort in the background of the tune, making the track even sweeter than it already was. Great track, and a great way to finish the album.
Holy smokes, the album is great. If you’re into the mid to late 1960s stylings of Bob Dylan, and you’re a fan of folk music and singer/songwriter music from the late 1960s, and/or you enjoy the anti-folk stylings of Anton Newcombe and/or Tess Parks, and even if you’re not, you might want to consider checking out this album. Intuitive folk is both a very succinct and apt description of Cluck’s style on this album. I’m already trying to see if it’s possible to pick up the record on vinyl. If you do decide to give this album a listen, I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A