The world sometimes delivers an artist that gives birth to something new and electrifying; reminding everyone that even in an industry absent of depth, a pearl is always hidden, ready to be discovered.
Enter: Clare Means. Originally from New Jersey/Pennsylvania, migrating to California, Clare Means stands alone in the folk genre, following in the footsteps of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake. Her music captivates an essence that has been long gone in the midst of all the rubbish that plagues the airwaves. With her stirring yet poignant lyrics and sinewy voice, Clare Means means business.
Clare Means Debut Album White Bamboo
The first track on the album, New York Night, wisps the listener away into a remote hotel room, where the walls have secrets, and the night turns into dreams. Her voice lulls the audience to sleep, whispering and reassuring them that, if they listen, they might too be in that Chelsea Hotel.
What a relief, after such an excruciating long wait and the continuous search for something real, pure and concrete that Clare Means delivers an actual message, with songs like Everybody’s Room But Mine narrating the story of an orphan whom never feels quite welcome, and Haunt You seeming to have a double meaning of the complicated phenomenon that is love and hate.
With Asbury Park and Chloe, the heart trembles at her illustrated words and gives the listener a reason to keep listening. Angels On The Freeway sounds familiar and frighteningly accurate for those whom know the listless feeling while driving down the infamous 101 freeway. She adds the sounds of life and the hum of continuity as a backdrop to an autobiographical take on a drive to somewhere that is yet to reveal itself.
She romanticizes the idea of love and the innocence misplaced when the inner child is lost and tainted. She takes the listener on an innocent yet callous ride that explores the sweet and the unkind, the melancholy and the merry; leaving a sensation of satisfaction with a ceaseless facet of surprise.
The whole album is a sort of awakening, a passage of sorts into her experiences and perhaps the experiences of people she’s come across through her travels. The album acts like a book unraveling a story nobody will want to end.
Whatever the case is, she refreshes the mind and soul, setting both at ease, with her voice and her conviction.
Tracks on White Bamboo
- New York Night
- Everybody’s Room But Mine
- Snow Angels
- Haunt You
- White Bamboo
- Notions Of Love
- Angels Of The Freeway
- Chloe
- Asbury Park
- Guitars And Chocolates
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