"Bet you think you're giving good // But you're just a crumb giver // Bet you think you really give // But you're just a crumb giver..."
The electronic bear trap'd dance rocker and dire inhalations of "Crumb Giver", by the always surprising British American singer-songwriter / producer / guitarist Vanessa Van Ness, pretty much slapped me in the face in the best possible way. Having been enthralled by Van Ness's work twice before (the beautifully dark love lullaby The Muscle (Song for Kate) and the deeply personal, engrossing The Early Bus) I was expecting similar styles but this cross cutting blend of electronica, indie rock / busker punk guitar drops and Sprechgesang (talking) style vocals had my jaw gleefully on the floor. I, in fact, upon first listen was so taken aback by the depth of storytelling, the acerbic chest poking, the sheer amount of dropped truth bomb and trauma purging that I had to take a literal walk through my local mountains, come back and listen even harder. The talk singing style if done right is always pretty compelling whether old school (80's) icons like Laurie Anderson, Talking Hands, the Dead Kennedys, Subhumans or contemporary such artists like Aitis Band, CONSUMABLES, Black Country- New Road, but Van Ness's style here has to be my new favorite.
The electronic bear trap'd dance rocker and dire inhalations of "Crumb Giver", by the always surprising British American singer-songwriter / producer / guitarist Vanessa Van Ness, pretty much slapped me in the face in the best possible way. Having been enthralled by Van Ness's work twice before (the beautifully dark love lullaby The Muscle (Song for Kate) and the deeply personal, engrossing The Early Bus) I was expecting similar styles but this cross cutting blend of electronica, indie rock / busker punk guitar drops and Sprechgesang (talking) style vocals had my jaw gleefully on the floor. I, in fact, upon first listen was so taken aback by the depth of storytelling, the acerbic chest poking, the sheer amount of dropped truth bomb and trauma purging that I had to take a literal walk through my local mountains, come back and listen even harder. The talk singing style if done right is always pretty compelling whether old school (80's) icons like Laurie Anderson, Talking Hands, the Dead Kennedys, Subhumans or contemporary such artists like Aitis Band, CONSUMABLES, Black Country- New Road, but Van Ness's style here has to be my new favorite.
Artful connections are personal ones and "Crumb Giver" appeals to the A24 side of me and it feels very filmic. There is a dark presence here, Van Ness possessing (maybe) a detached form of herself, one that can be cruel when she might normally not be. Not a Miss Hyde, not a divided personality but peering through a hardened mask of her own making, your own super version with balled fists as a matter survivorship. A version that does your dirty work. I feel that within Van Ness's vocal style that feel as once deadly strong yet naturally aloof, a bit of Clint Eastwood and Nico colliding.
It all makes sense as Van Ness shares:
[Crumb Giver is an empowering dance track for anyone who has been used—romantically or otherwise—who never got to name the dynamic or say what they needed to say. Sonically it blends indie electronic, alternative, and indie dance, with a pulsing ARP synth, sharp lyrics, and empowered alto vocals.]
"We were soldiers in a far away war
Not in this life, but the life beforeWe were stranded and despite our connection
You blew me away to conserve your rations
I said, "Ah, I think I'm gonna crack"
So I wail on my guitar like I was ZZ Top
I said, "Ahh, I think I'm gonna crack"
So I wail on my guitar like I was ZZ Top
Bet you think you're giving good
But you're just a crumb giver
I asked you for a slice and you cut me a sliver
Bet you think you really give
But you're just a crumb giver
If your mama knew about ya she'd call you a gravedigger"
"Crumb Giver" as performed, recorded, produced, played all by Van Ness is a remarkable piece of work. The pulsating synths, pushing machine beat, bass dance and dance snaps is keenly nuanced. The building orchestrations of counter poised added synths and the sound of them and the fucking killer guitar breaks all work so, so perfectly and, in fact, when the guitars seem to have a guitar battle there are moments that the song becomes perfectly absurd. At this moment I realize that "Crumb Giver" is a wonderful dark comedy with the very ending "aaah" as a perfect punchline.
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"Bed Stuy '79", though lighter and CBGB's proto punk cooler in a kind of Tom Tom Club sort of way is still so much a sister track (to me) to the darker shaded "Crumb Giver". I love the dominant bass, the boppy beat, the funk punk aesthetic and, of course the homage to late 70's times when New York was the virtual epicenter of art punk. I don't yet know if these two tracks might portend an EP or full length in this kind of sparse blend of art punk, electronica, avant garde indie rock, blendo, hybid music but, suffice it to say, I am absolutely intrigued.
-Robb Donker Curtius
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The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://www.instagram.com/vanessa_van_ness_/
https://soundcloud.com/vanessa-van-ness
https://open.spotify.com/track/39bV2N3UOH6GttXFNMjPIC
https://soundcloud.com/vanessa-van-ness
https://open.spotify.com/track/39bV2N3UOH6GttXFNMjPIC
https://vanessa-van-ness.bandcamp.com/track/crumb-giver
Vanessa Van Ness is a British American singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist blending krautrock, psychedelic, and indie electronic influences. She grew up in Venice Beach, California in the same building Jim Morrison once lived in before he found success.
Her parents were English immigrants from Kent. Her mother was a hatmaker and folk artist, and her father was a furniture maker who believed music was the highest art form. Inspired by the DIY spirit of the Venice boardwalk and musical history of her home, she began writing lyrics and teaching herself guitar as a teenager. Her lack of belief in her own singing voice—which ironically later became a staple of her sound—caused her to work harder at playing an instrument.
Before releasing her first songs, Van Ness worked in film & television and would often volunteer as a disaster responder. Her first release, True True Shot, was written while volunteering in Nepal during the 2015 Nepal Earthquake, which partly influenced the song’s themes, and which she later self-produced on a laptop, performing the instruments herself. True True Shot was picked up by BBC Introducing in Oxford, UK, then won the Fresh on the Net competition hosted by BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson. Subsequent singles earned continued BBC and indie radio support, while The Early Bus, a neo-psychedelic meditation on her brother’s car accident, climbed to No. 1 on the Hype Machine Popular chart. Van Ness is based between LA and the UK.
Vanessa Van Ness is a British American singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist blending krautrock, psychedelic, and indie electronic influences. She grew up in Venice Beach, California in the same building Jim Morrison once lived in before he found success.
Her parents were English immigrants from Kent. Her mother was a hatmaker and folk artist, and her father was a furniture maker who believed music was the highest art form. Inspired by the DIY spirit of the Venice boardwalk and musical history of her home, she began writing lyrics and teaching herself guitar as a teenager. Her lack of belief in her own singing voice—which ironically later became a staple of her sound—caused her to work harder at playing an instrument.
Before releasing her first songs, Van Ness worked in film & television and would often volunteer as a disaster responder. Her first release, True True Shot, was written while volunteering in Nepal during the 2015 Nepal Earthquake, which partly influenced the song’s themes, and which she later self-produced on a laptop, performing the instruments herself. True True Shot was picked up by BBC Introducing in Oxford, UK, then won the Fresh on the Net competition hosted by BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson. Subsequent singles earned continued BBC and indie radio support, while The Early Bus, a neo-psychedelic meditation on her brother’s car accident, climbed to No. 1 on the Hype Machine Popular chart. Van Ness is based between LA and the UK.
alternative rock, dream pop, Bedroom / Lo-fi Pop, Vanessa Van Ness, darks storytelling, minimal, electronica, jamming guitar breaks, "Crumb Giver", Brooklyn, Los Angeles, "Bed Stuy '79", artist, producer, guitarist,
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