Jolie Holland releases her new album Wine Dark Sea on May 20th via Anti- Records but for those that have followed her music career from her early years with The Be Good Tanyas to her last studio album Pint of Blood (2011) this new offering is as fresh as they come. There’s no mistaking her quirky vocals but on this self-produced album she is in new territory, and she really shines.
There’s a keenness to point out that this is new: “louder, noisier, raw and visceral. It is an inventive and fiery reimagining of delta blues, free jazz, classic r&b and country, infused throughout with a no wave abandon.” Just check out her new video for Waiting For The Sun which features a fine ensemble of musicians who she chose from New York’s fertile downtown jazz and experimental scene including Doug Wieselman (Lou Reed, Antony and the Johnsons), Indigo Street and others.
“I told Doug Wieselman I wanted an Ethiopianesque bass clarinet solo on ‘All the Love’ and he said, ‘yeah, I got that.’ I asked him to give me a tremolo guitar like Pops Staples, and he brought that spirit through for ‘Dark Days.’ I asked Geoffrey Muller, the bassist, to give us a bass line for ‘Waiting for the Sun’ like a sweet boyfriend telling his lady he’s picking up the whole bill for their vacation on the beach. I wanted it to have that comforting, manly vibe. And he hooked us up.”