'VANDAVEER' sounds like a band, but it’s primarily the vehicle for talented Kentuckian singer-songwriter Mark Charles Heidinger. Initially something of a prophet without honour back home, he has come the UK and Irish attention via the back door route (he’s already big in France) and is already garnering notices muttering fervently about his apparent ability to recall the likes of Dylan and Leonard Cohen.
Thus, it’s not unfair to say that ‘Divide & Conquer’ arrives in the slipstream of its’ advance reputation and promises something big on the ‘new folk’ front. Hmm. I’m naturally sceptical of ‘scenes’ at the best of times, especially in a music world which is now so fragmented it’s long since forgotten which way is up.
Thankfully, ‘Divide & Conquer’ is more than capable of standing on its’ own strapping, mid-western legs. It’s largely a gentle, but occasionally slightly ribald listen, full of subtle charm but its’ grip on your heart tightens slowly but surely with each successive listen.
Opener ‘Fistful of Swoon’ gives you some idea what to expect. Though it features acoustic guitars, bass, whirring organ and drums, the sound is sparse and under-played, falling into a blurry middle kingdom somewhere between folk, country and acoustic indie pop, while Heidinger and his vocal foil, sister Rose Guerin, emote in a semi-mumbled, but immediately ear-catching way. The song itself features what could be one hell of a chat-up line (“you got a swagger, you got a fistful of swoon”) and proves to be a fascinating curtain raiser.
Most of what follows engages equally seamlessly. Sometimes Heidinger spins intriguing narratives like ‘Resurrection Mary’ or the nautically-flavoured ‘A Mighty Leviathan of Old’ or brings it back home with a gentle, down-home acoustic workout like ‘Woolgathering’. Elsewhere, songs like the God-fearing ‘Turpentine’ or the down-on-the-skids blues of ‘The Sound & The Fury’ are clad in darker hues, closer in spirit to fellow Kentucky native Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy.
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Superficially closest to a ‘Pop’ song in the traditional, guitar-driven sense is the chugging ‘Before the Great War’, although its’ tale of depression then and now (“you stood through the roaring Twenties, you stood firm in ‘29”) transcends its’ musical backdrop. It’s one of the very best things here, though it’s given a strong run for its’ money by both the lonely caress of the title track and the gorgeously sparse, Americana-tinged ‘Beverley Cleary’s 115th Dream’, which concludes the record. Its’ title inevitably recalls Bob Dylan, although I can’t imagine Dylan writing an ode to an elderly, but respected writer of Children’s’ books from Oregon. Or using the phrase “heavens to Betsy” come to that.
Despite its’ divisive title, ‘Divide & Conquer’ basks in a warm glow of intimacy which has the ability to draw in the discerning regardless of fad or fashion. With more UK shows on the horizon and a follow-up to this album almost completed already, Vandaveer sound like becoming an enigmatic name to conjure long after any spurious ‘new folk’ crazes have abated.
Vandaveer online
Bronzerat Records online
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