In the Vines

Castanets | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 23, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Asthmatic Kitty
• ASIN: B000VDDBJ8
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,914 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't listen to the Pitchfork review, October 30, 2007

By 

R. King (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In the Vines (Audio CD)

I knew when I first heard this album that Pitchfork was going to give it a mediocre review. Although the reviewer picks up on many details of Raposa's work, but fails to understand what separates him from other, as they call it, "indie-rolk" artists. The reviewer trys to lump him in with a larger group, such as Smog and Iron and Wine, missing the point entirely. And given the power they have nowadays to make or break an album, I first wanted to say to not put much stock in it. Read the review on Dusted, or any of the other publications.

I have been a huge Castanets fan ever since I got Cathedral. I was travelling overseas at the time, and I found myself listening to it constantly. His voice, and the simplicity of the album kept me listening, and with every listen I found more layers and depths.

But flash forward three years, and we find a very different album. There is no doubt that it is a Castanets cd, but he's moved further away from simpler song structures. As Dusted pointed out, the third song is probably the only one that can be considered a traditional song. Songs fade in, fade out, and seem to end in odd places. The smallest shift in a song is meant to signify something. This is an album, in the truest sense of the word. It should be listened to in its entirety. It is not a collection of singles. By trying to compare The Castents to other similar artists, we miss what sets him apart.

I doubt that this album will attract any new fans, but for those that enjoy the other two albums, this one will not disappoint.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful entanglement!, October 31, 2007

By 

Phil Deez (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Vines (Audio CD)

Castanets third record "In The Vines" pushes folk music into new territory. Its actually hard to use the word folk, as this music is something else, something we needed to hear. Its refreshing to hear a band that takes so many risks and succeeds in the process. The sheer emotional content of this album is enough to bring listeners to their knees, laughing and crying at the expansiveness of it all. Raposa's lyrics bring the roof down on the human condition, then build it back up again, new and free from attachments.
If you have a pulse, or even if you don't, you should purchase this phenomenal record. Very Highly Reccommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In the Vines, March 30, 2008

By 

Rupa Ved - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In the Vines (Audio CD)

Ray Raposa of Castanets had to endure traumatic tribulations before finishing his third album In the Vines. Before the album's completion, Raposa was mugged by three men and subsequently endured a year long bout with depression, yet still managed to turn his head back up and write a thoughtful record wrapped in metaphors drawn from traditional Hindu parables. Though far from a cheerful pop effort, the album balances the understandably disheartened with nomadic tales of Greyhound vagabonding, slumming in the Virgin Isles and tracking down his real parents.
Raposa's music has previously been described as "country, jazz and quiet indie rock," and this album continues to draw from folk and experimental rock, creating bizarre ballads and a mood that is dreary, yet inspiring. Armed with acoustic guitar, Raposa's vocals tend to be raspy, quiet and harsh. Although Raposa is a singer-songwriter, Castanets are a community of various musicians, including St. Vincent's Annie Clark, label mate and friend Sufjan Stevens and Nick Delffs of Shaky Hands. In the Vines begins with "Rain Will Come," a desolate and despondent medley that combines penetrating guitar with piercing keyboard. Raposa hums about a journey to self-realization, a trek that is "going to be sad/it's going to be long," towards an uncertain end. He nearly whispers his desire to settle down on the track "Three Months Paid," describing places to inhabit but never reaching a final destination.
This album must be heard more than just once, preferably on a rainy day with an even cloudier mood. Each track consists of distorted sound and intensely psychological and intimate lyrics which are cold and haunting. Castanets are full of variety, ranging from banjo and strings to bells, horns, keyboard and electronic beats. Raposa has increased his musical capabilities, expanding the boundaries of folk music just as much as he pushes the boundaries of his own musical inclination.