Though
it’s true
that little details
make up the whole
picture, it’s
the whole picture
that has the power
to affect you, floor
you with the mood
it creates.
The details of Jen
Gloeckner’s
debut CD Miles
Away--soothing
rhythms, layers
of meaning, and
guitar and vocals
that blend while
letting the power
of each show through—combine
seamlessly to have
one single effect:
Spellbinding.
Miles
Away is
spellbinding and
enchanting, but
it’s no "relaxation"
CD. You’ll
be lured into a
world that’s
more twisted and
mysterious than
calm and relaxing--more
Neverwhere (Neil
Gaiman) than Neverland.
There’s
no happy ending
here--but there
is hope. Miles
Away will
draw you in, with
songs like "Nothing
Personal"
and "Only
1"
to a place where
dreams go wrong
and good intentions
go awry. But it
will pull you back,
with songs like
"Remember
When" by
visiting those moments
of enlightenment
and epiphany that
pierce through times
of darkness and
allow us to feel
connected, vibrant,
and alive.
This
album, this music--it’s
real life. Miles
Away was
not contrived to
meet pop culture
or corporate standards--in
fact, it was created
free from such influence
in Jen’s own
home studio in Dubuque,
Iowa with the help
of recording engineer
Laird Scott.
"My digital
recorder is my diary,
and I try to write
in it daily. I
don't believe I
could ever record
a full album in
a real studio."
Miles
Away pulls
you into Jen’s
world--her real
world, clouds and
silver linings.
"The record
is the result of
a manifestation
of everything I
have experienced
in life up to that
point," Jen
recalls, "and
I felt now was the
time to release
all these different
emotions."
Because
Jen grew up in a
small, Midwestern
town in the United
States, citizens
of more musician-friendly
cities may wonder
where she finds
the inspiration
to write such diverse
and original material.
Jen spoke
of the sources of
her inspiration
in a recent interview,
saying, "When
I write, I am really
not aware of my
surroundings at
all, either inside
the studio, or outside
the house. I do
not find that my
music really has
any geographical
boundaries at all."
She adds, "I
really cannot put
my finger on it,
but when I write,
the visions I see
and try to interpret
are very similar
to what one may
experience in their
dream state. I
have also had collaborations
with musicians in
my dreams, which
I have taken and
finished writing
in the conscious
state. I often
wonder if these
other musicians
are the various
forms of myself."
Jen recalls
the incredibly haunting
"Only
1"
of being a song
created from such
inspiration. She
recalls, "That
was a song that
came to me one night
at about 2:00 am.
It just seemed to
pour out of me,
and within two hours
the song was completely
written and recorded."
No wonder, then,
that Jen’s
music has such a
dream-like quality.
Hard-pressed
to classify Jen’s
music into a certain
genre, reviewers
are left searching
for words to describe
what they have heard.
In a world
dominated by many
female artists whose
vocal lines seem
to never stop, Jen
prefers not to have
any one instrument,
including her own
voice, dominate.
As one reviewer
gracefully put it,
"…she
casts writerly ego
aside in favour
of minimal lyrics
elaborated by spell-weaving
sounds. …she’s
just different,
dark, ethereal,
funky, an alluring
big-sky, small-room
mystery."
Jen
recalls, "When
I wrote the material
for the record,
I wanted more than
just singer/songwriter
style songs."
She adds "I
understood that
giving the music
space to breathe
on its own was very
crucial in developing
the moods that I
wanted to create."
Reviewers
may have trouble
categorizing Jen’s
music, but her talent
speaks for itself.
That talent
was nurtured and
encouraged by her
family from a very
early age. It
did not take long
for Jen’s
family to realize
her gift. "My
mom often reminds
me of a time when
I was about two
years old. We were
in church, and there
was a hymn playing.
As soon as the hymn
stopped, I began
screaming "MORE
MUSIC!", and
mom had to rush
me out of the church
so that I would
not disrupt the
service (laughs)."
Jen’s
first piano teacher
took notice of her
ability to play
by ear, and her
lack of interest
in reading music,
and advised Jen’s
parents to not restrict
her creativity and
to let her learn
her own way. "I
guess I have always
been somewhat unconventional,"
she recalls, "being
left-handed, bi-racial
and being raised
in a completely
white environment.
There are
definitely those
times when I feel
I am marching to
a beat of a different
drum."
During
Jen’s teenage
years, she began
composing songs
and, like every
teenager, singing
along with her favourite
musicians. Though
her appreciation
and love for music
never subsided,
Jen did not actively
compose again for
several years. Her
desire to create
was rekindled after
receiving her first
left-handed guitar
for a birthday gift.
Things
moved rapidly after
that--her self-taught
guitar style began
to take shape and
led to a desire
to produce her own
demo record. "When
I was introduced
to the guitar, that
really opened up
a whole new world
for me, and became
my passion,"
she recalls. Inspired
by the sounds of
artists like Tom
Waits
and Bob
Dylan,
Jen spent hours
in her spare bedroom-turned-
recording studio
creating her first
album. "Most
of the songs were
written during the
recording process,"
Jen recalls.
"I
had originally written
five or six songs,
most of which were
scrapped and replaced
with new ones."
With the writing
of each song, Jen’s
songwriting style
and her vision for
the album began
to evolve. With
encouragement from
music industry pros
like Aaron
Jacoves
(former A&R
vice-president of
Virgin, A&M,
and Mercury Records)
and Derek
Birkett
(MD One Little Indian
Records), it was
soon realized that
Jen would have more
than just a demo
on her hands.
Jen
Gloeckner’s
debut album Miles
Away will
be released through
One Little
Indian Records
on 25th April 2005.
For
more information
please contact Michelle
Polley at One Little
Indian Records
tel: + 44 (20) 8772
7645 or michellepolley@indian.co.uk
