Phylactery Factory

Whereas 2006's "Wind-Up Canary" was short stories and little Salinger vignettes, "Phylactery Factory" is filled with dreams, memories, warnings, and reminders. Twenty-two year old Casey Dienel's voice is more hidden; crouching amid swish, drone, and the wildflower jazz of her friends. There are echoes of Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, John Cage, Alice Coltrane, and M. Ward. There are songs from private and uncertain places, vulnerable places. "Phylactery Factory" falls between freeze and frozen, between green and grey, just as the hinterland becomes white and we feel our first, happy shivers.