Castanets - Texas Rose, the Thaw and the Beasts
Fifth album from experimental folk soloist
Castanets, the experimental one man band of San Diegan Raymond Raposa, has concocted an album which is incredibly dynamic, teetering from the raw to the inorganic effectively. Texas Rose, the Thaw and the Beasts is difficult to define- freak folk? Gothic prog country? ‘New Weird America’? Yet, a hoarse story-telling rasp and thick, oscillating choruses show Nashville looked at through a kaleidoscope.
Worn from the Night is indicative of the gentle processed beats tending to underlie a number of tracks. On Beginning possesses an atmospheric fade-in and unexplained 2001: A Space Odyssey blips, set alongside acoustic guitars and steel drums. We Kept Our Kitchen Clean sounds like a scratched LP bumping over the needle, barely audible, slowly filtering through to a melodic drone.
Down the Line, Love feels like it could be the soundtrack to some as yet unmade film involving hillsides, Bonnie Prince Billy and Paul Schnieder. Piano underlines the whole track, sprinkled over harmonica and trumpet (from Jason Crane of Rockey from the Crypt, no less). Closing track Dance, Dance epitomises the no frills lyricism. “She says come in from the rain. Well, hell, I came in from the rain”, proving that the proof is in the delivery.