Pepi Ginsberg
East is East
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Label: Park the Van
According to Pepi Ginsberg, East is East is a record that embraces "the most ephemeral of seasons" and portrays a time when we "know that change is coming in the form of a cool wind; we hold on until we let go." Got that? Me neither; I've been listening to this album pretty compulsively for the past two weeks and I'm still not convinced that the mood the artist tried to convey is ever really captured in the record's 10 songs. What I do know is this: it doesn't matter, because East is East succeeds in showcasing one of the most wide-ranging and expressive female voices in music today and reinforces Ginsberg's reputation as a deeply gifted lyricist, even if most listeners likely won't be swept into a world of Indian summers and the "season in between" like the singer hoped.
Like previous record Red, Ginsberg's voice again recalls both Bob Dylan and Patti Smith, although to pigeonhole her as a mere amalgamation of the two isn't fair or accurate. Her vocal range is more remarkable than that: at times she sounds like a female Dylan, but she's also capable of singing like an effeminate songbird or growling hoarsely, and none of her singing styles sound forced or unnatural. Unlike earlier efforts that saw Ginsberg crooning over traditional mid-tempo acoustic arrangements, East is East features a more energetic full band sound that hints at elements of freak-folk ("Shake This"), up-tempo indie ("Lost River"), stoner-funk ("Kid") and soulful rock 'n roll ("Coca Cola"). Several songs follow a more unobtrusive and predictable pattern and serve as little more than sound to fill the background, but even these arrangements don't detract from the record's appeal. The music is diverse enough to keep listeners interested (compare the nearly frenetic "Navy and Sand" to the stripped down "Coal to Diamonds") while never distracting from the main attractions: Ginsberg's rich vocals and poetic contemplations.
Inspired by the classic Dylan record Blonde on Blonde and the experimental sounds of Deerhoof, East is East unfolds in a whirlwind of images that spiral the listener into a world of Dali-like surrealism, gambling boat adventures, petty thieves, nameless rivers and jailbird rants. There's an undeniable Dylan-like quality to lyrics like "Well they didn't tell us when they sent that telegram/ If it's a war to end all ages/ Or just that battle that everyone has," but Ginsberg is no mere Dylan imposter. She's an expert wordsmith, and the lyrical brilliance she brings to songs like "Mercury Tide" and "Coca Cola" make these tracks two of the most solid of the young year.
The only distraction is that Ginsberg seems to sometimes try too hard to sound like Dylan ("Gravity in 20/20"), and though her emulation doesn't quite come across as un-genuine, her vocal strengths are more pronounced when she doesn't limit herself to a Dylan-like groan. The record sounds both like a tribute to yesteryear and a celebration of the experimentalism of today, but what it doesn't sound like is the music of tomorrow. East is East is certainly not the most progressive record this year, and plenty of listeners may complain that it channels the styles of more renowned artists rather than establishes its own sound, but if you're a sucker for a mesmerizing voice and a deeply poetic lyricist, you won't be disappointed by Ginsberg's latest.
by Marcus David
