Jen Gloeckner — Vine (Apr 14, 2017) 
••• “Weird and wonderful.” — Tony Clayton~Lea
Location: Dubuque, Iowa
Album release: Apr 14, 2017
Record Label: Spinning Head Records
Duration: 39:29
Tracks:
01 Vine 2:58
02 Firefly (War Dance) 3:39
03 Breathe 3:42
04 Ginger Ale 4:02
05 The Last Thought 3:13
06 Blowing Through 3:33
07 Counting Sheep 3:34
08 Prayers 4:37
09 Colors 3:33
10 Row With the Flow 3:56
11 Sold 2:42
℗ 2017 Spinning Head Records Review
Tony Clayton~Lea; Score: ***
••• Jen Gloeckner has admitted to being influenced by her upbringing on the shores of Dubuque, Iowa, and the constant flow of the Mississippi river.
••• From her 2010 debut album, Miles Away, to now, the songwriter has been challenged by various industry demands, yet she has continued to cast these aside without concern, forging a musical identity that sees accessibility run parallel with weirdness.
••• The former runs throughout Vine like a line of thread, while the latter is all~pervasive across songs that bring to mind specific, singular artists such as Mazzy Star, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Bjork, Julee Cruise, Portishead, Marianne Faithfull and Lana Del Rey.
••• The genre style is trickier to pinpoint ~ think trip~hop, dream~pop, electronica and Americana socialising with each other and getting on like a house on fire.
••• http://www.irishtimes.com/
Also:
A sparkling display of near ambient psychedelia...
NOVEEN BAJPAI REVIEWS 24 · 04 · 2017 / SCORE: 6/10
••• Ambient~psych virtuoso Jen Gloeckner has come forth with her first new material in seven years. ‘Vine’ is a decidedly hazy affair, with glitchy, trip~hop roots underpinning immersive, atmospheric soundscapes. Opening cut ‘Blowing Through’ sets the tone with gentle flutes and fuzzy synths, and ‘Breathe’ springs into life with spliced, exhaling vocals before freefalling into a wide open ravine of reverb~drenched guitars and crisp snare drumming.
••• The acid~trip come~p of ‘Firefly (War Dance)’ follows in a head~spinning Burning Man fantasy, complete with tambourine flourishes and far~off alien noises, and Gloeckner goes a step beyond on ‘Prayers’, a dynamic and elemental track that moves from sparse, aquatic drift to climaxing soft rock in one sweeping motion.
••• Soon after, the record’s brightest moments arrive via the slowly~building swell of ‘Row With The Flow’. Punctuated by guitar work from John Ashton of the Psychedelic Furs, and further layered with vocals from Henry Padovani, the original guitarist for The Police, the two cameos add to a mix already brimming with substance, as a moaning cello and glimmering keys loop dutifully around a simple self~aware mantra: “I know it’s not that easy”.
••• The title~track then caps off what is the Iowa native’s most high~production, all~consuming collection yet. From Massive Attack to Portishead, Gloeckner’s chief influences shine brightly here, as she paints a sophisticated and sensual canvas that’s most readily enjoyed when kept in keen, microscopic focus. Though it occasionally wanders, ‘Vine’ is an altogether warm embrace of a record that is both empowered and limited in scope by its gushing, freeform psychedelia. ••• http://www.clashmusic.com/
Website: http://www.jengloeckner.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jengloeckner
Bandcamp: https://jengloeckner.bandcamp.com/album/vine
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Location: Dubuque, Iowa
Album release: Apr 14, 2017
Record Label: Spinning Head Records
Duration: 39:29
Tracks:
01 Vine 2:58
02 Firefly (War Dance) 3:39
03 Breathe 3:42
04 Ginger Ale 4:02
05 The Last Thought 3:13
06 Blowing Through 3:33
07 Counting Sheep 3:34
08 Prayers 4:37
09 Colors 3:33
10 Row With the Flow 3:56
11 Sold 2:42
℗ 2017 Spinning Head Records Review
Tony Clayton~Lea; Score: ***
••• Jen Gloeckner has admitted to being influenced by her upbringing on the shores of Dubuque, Iowa, and the constant flow of the Mississippi river.
••• From her 2010 debut album, Miles Away, to now, the songwriter has been challenged by various industry demands, yet she has continued to cast these aside without concern, forging a musical identity that sees accessibility run parallel with weirdness.
••• The former runs throughout Vine like a line of thread, while the latter is all~pervasive across songs that bring to mind specific, singular artists such as Mazzy Star, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Bjork, Julee Cruise, Portishead, Marianne Faithfull and Lana Del Rey.
••• The genre style is trickier to pinpoint ~ think trip~hop, dream~pop, electronica and Americana socialising with each other and getting on like a house on fire.
••• http://www.irishtimes.com/
Also:
A sparkling display of near ambient psychedelia...
NOVEEN BAJPAI REVIEWS 24 · 04 · 2017 / SCORE: 6/10
••• Ambient~psych virtuoso Jen Gloeckner has come forth with her first new material in seven years. ‘Vine’ is a decidedly hazy affair, with glitchy, trip~hop roots underpinning immersive, atmospheric soundscapes. Opening cut ‘Blowing Through’ sets the tone with gentle flutes and fuzzy synths, and ‘Breathe’ springs into life with spliced, exhaling vocals before freefalling into a wide open ravine of reverb~drenched guitars and crisp snare drumming.
••• The acid~trip come~p of ‘Firefly (War Dance)’ follows in a head~spinning Burning Man fantasy, complete with tambourine flourishes and far~off alien noises, and Gloeckner goes a step beyond on ‘Prayers’, a dynamic and elemental track that moves from sparse, aquatic drift to climaxing soft rock in one sweeping motion.
••• Soon after, the record’s brightest moments arrive via the slowly~building swell of ‘Row With The Flow’. Punctuated by guitar work from John Ashton of the Psychedelic Furs, and further layered with vocals from Henry Padovani, the original guitarist for The Police, the two cameos add to a mix already brimming with substance, as a moaning cello and glimmering keys loop dutifully around a simple self~aware mantra: “I know it’s not that easy”.
••• The title~track then caps off what is the Iowa native’s most high~production, all~consuming collection yet. From Massive Attack to Portishead, Gloeckner’s chief influences shine brightly here, as she paints a sophisticated and sensual canvas that’s most readily enjoyed when kept in keen, microscopic focus. Though it occasionally wanders, ‘Vine’ is an altogether warm embrace of a record that is both empowered and limited in scope by its gushing, freeform psychedelia. ••• http://www.clashmusic.com/
Website: http://www.jengloeckner.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jengloeckner
Bandcamp: https://jengloeckner.bandcamp.com/album/vine