Oh Vanille / Ova Nil

Diane Cluck | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 15, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Important Records
• ASIN: B0007M22U2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,582 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Diane Cluck’s hauntingly clear voice weaves melodies full of love and pain through her intentionally sparse arrangements of piano, acoustic guitar and harmonium. Perfect as they are, any additional instrumentation would be unnecessary adornments on these "skeleton" songs, as she calls them. Classical training and an obsession with Erik Satie have instilled a tasteful minimalism in Cluck’s work. Until now, her recordings have been self-released, and even now, with this full-length on Important Records, Cluck has only allowed it to be issued in an edition of 500. As a result, this is the fourth installment in Important’s Arts and Crafts series, featuring 11 tracks released in packaging handmade made by the artist. It is our hope that an unlimited edition can eventually be arranged.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, June 14, 2005

By 

Puabi (Californialand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oh Vanille / Ova Nil (Audio CD)

What first caught my interest with this album was the cover art. Diane made it herself, from what I understand. Like the rest of the recording, it is elegant and weird. Devendra Banhart lauds Diane's lyrics, and they are overall beautiful and moody, like the tunes. Cluck plays the guitar wonderfully well, in such a layered, rich fashion that you want to listen to tracks over and over again to catch everything. "Have I told you how I like to see a man submit to ecstasy, will all his inhibitions free, and moaning like his mother?" she sings on one track, and it just gives you goosebumps. (What'd I tell you about the weird!) I can't choose a favorite song, but the last one, "Wild Deer at Dawn," is such a lovely close, it really makes your heartbeat as steady as the person's in the song. "Beat...beat...beat..." and it segues off into silence and you're just sitting there content. I can't recommend this recording enough, I will make all my friends buy it. It's simply too good to let fall beneath the cracks, and 500 copies is really too small a number, though it does make one feel special for having it. Thank you Diane for this marvellous work.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking minimalist folk, April 16, 2005

By 

Loring D. Wirbel (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oh Vanille / Ova Nil (Audio CD)

Perhaps it's not fair to review a studio album, not having seen a songwriter who's supposed to be defined by her live performances. But folks who fell in love with "Macy's Day Bird" will fall all over themselves for her Important Records debut. No extra instruments or layered tracks here, though we do get some voice-over harmonies on three or four of the songs. What we get instead is the unadulterated essence of Diane Cluck's remarkable voice, and some of the best writing you'll find these days. I privately give this five stars, and consider it in the running for best relesae of 2005, but its minimalist, semi-lo-fi nature might be off-putting for those used to 24 tracks of production in everything they throw in their ears. Consequently, the four stars represents the tiniest "caveat emptor," but if you don't get what's going on here, it's your loss. An insanely beautiful album.

5.0 out of 5 stars the best, June 13, 2011

By 

Reklaw, Vinyl Veteran (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oh Vanille / Ova Nil (Audio CD)

Diane Cluck is the best. Except for one reviewer, it seems like it should have been 5 stars all around. Those (except for one) who did not award 5 stars seemed to be sensitive and intelligent listeners (which is not prerequisite) who truly appreciate this music. Actually, they seem to be familiar with the artist. Loring Wirbel, you did not convince me this is not a 5 star album! You even said you give it 5 stars "privately," go ahead and make it public! Diane Cluck is the best of the songwriters categorized as folk-rock, indie-folk, "freak folk," antifolk, etc. I wish we could hear much more from her. She seems to have purposely steered clear of the limelight, but the music is undeniable when you hear it. "Authenticity" seems to be a necessarily subjective concept, yet this music is "real." She is an absolute poet and creates inventive accompaniment for herself while always giving a heartfelt performance. Live performances are simply not to be missed. This is probably her best recording to date. The world waits for more.