After 35 years of self-exile from the music industry and her first album Just Another Diamond Day, which was released in 1970, Vashti Bunyan makes her triumphant return with Lookaftering, a beautiful set of songs from this golden-throated folk singer who sounds like she hasn’t skipped a beat since her younger years.
What makes this album so fascinating is Vashti’s involved history with The Rolling Stones, who’s guru (remember when the Stones were actually cool?) Andrew Loog Oldham discovered her, and tried to push her as the next Marianne Faithful to no avail. Whether it was bad timing or poor planning, she had enough and quit music altogether. After being rediscovered a few years ago by Devendra Banhart, here we are with a new album of songs during a current period in music that is seeing its own resurgence in this genre called folk.
The album features a set of gently sung songs that sound both old and new. Old in the sense that Vashti still sings in that 60s folky way and new in the sense that the music behind her has some electronic sounds, that while subtle, reminds you that it’s not the 60s anymore. It compliments her voice in a way that makes you wonder if an artist like Bob Dylan came out now, what would his music sound like with access to drum machines and loop pedals? Not that Vashti Bunyan’s Lookaftering goes far out because it’s her voice that is the strongest instrument here. Working with the likes of Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsome, Adem, and Robert Kirby (he arranged the strings on her first record along with Nick Drake's albums) among others, they all play a part in showing how valuable and beautiful Vashti Bunyan is to music. For a very interesting and revealing look at what I mean, see fellow Kevchino writer Amy Wagner’s interview with Vashti Bunyan on the site here |