The clicks, whirrs and chimes of the instrumental intro makes it clear that Cindergarden's Jaymie Valentine has retained the
unique industrial music box aesthetic that marked her debut. It's the second track, "Genesis," that first reveals how much she's matured
as a singer and songwriter, less spooky clockwork doll than multifaceted artist, girlish whispers left behind in favor of a soprano that glides over
piano and synthesized bell arpeggios. Sonically, is also a far more diverse effort, encompassing everything from the driving
aggression of "Alibi," reminiscent of Diva Destruction and The Razor Skyline, to the moodier violin-laced trip-hop of "Sacrament" to the sensual night garden atmospherics of "Something to Kill For." While "Mire" and "Nothing Revealed" recall Valentine's earlier work with their synthesized harpsichord and wide-eyed spookiness, there's a new seriousness here, both in theme and in sound, less dusty attic and more sprawling fog-shrouded wasteland.
Title track "The Clandestine Experiment" in particular achieves an impressive density, Valentine's vocals deadpan over layered arpeggios, dramatic timpani crescendos, and guitar-laced orchestral samples that come together in an beautiful miasma as evocative and complex as Last Rites-era Skinny Puppy. Not every song is quite so heavy or intense, but even comparatively lighter offerings like darkwave dance track "Things that Never Die" and softly brooding "Digging Up the Bones" benefit from multi-tracked vocals and crystalline synth-string and organ arrangements that give the album as a whole a slick, professional charm. One of the most promising sophomore efforts of 2008, The Clandestine Experiment reveals an artist blossoming into the potential only promised by earlier releases.
~Matthew Johnson.
There's at least a touch of Skinny Puppy in Jaymie Valentine's past. It comes through in subtle ways on her debut album, in the slow electro beats of "Mask Of Silence" or the simple synthesizer arpeggios of "Stranger." Valentine's Cindergarden project, however, is ultimately less about industrial terror than disquieting dreams; there's a dark surrealism throughout her music that perfectly matches the whimsical but creepy album art. Think Rasputina with keyboards instead of cellos, or perhaps a dreamier, more languid version of the psychotic dolly imagery of Switchblade Symphony and Jack Off Jill.
It's all lovely stuff, ranging from synthpop-influenced dance tracks like "Ubiquitous" to softer pieces like "Sad Eye Doll," with tinny electric pianos on "Bad Dreams" and music box chimes on "Wasteland" giving things a particular feeling of nostalgia that evokes Victorian ghost children languishing in dusty attics. "Dirty Ritual" is also a stunning track, with fuzzy vocals contrasted by crisp, lacy harpsichords. Valentine delivers most of her vocals in a sort of breathy whisper that's quite suited to the album's moods, but the rich harmonies of "Dying Kind" show a voice that's arrestingly pretty when she wants it to be. Underground Light Machine is a stunning debut, and presages great things to come. Valentine has already discovered her artistic voice; the only question left is what she will say with it next. ~Matthew Johnson.
Underground Light Machine review from GOTHIC ANGST
This is darkwave. This is electrogoth. Jaymie redefines what dark electronic and dark ambient should be with this album. The tracks are strong, expressive, emotive and accessible. The whole album is expertly executed and aims to strike a chord with your deepest emotions and darkest thoughts. By the end of the album you are left aching for more. Exquisite darkness that is painfully wonderful.
~Chris Stead
Cindergarden is the solo project of singer, songwriter, and producer Jaymie
Valentine. 2006 marked the release of Cindergarden's debut album, Underground Light Machine, which received widespread attention and acclaim in the gothic/industrial community. Underground Light Machine is the second album to be released by Valentine's own record label, Looking Glass Records, the first being yet another brainchild of Valentine's called Ghostlight. (http://www.myspace.com/67809)
Entitled Underground Light Machine, the album brought together elements of
gothic, trip-hop, and electro with a distinctive aesthetic that owed more to
antique china dolls—one reviewer compared Cindergarden's sound to
Rasputina with keyboards instead of cellos—than the apocalyptic leather and
spikes imagery usually associated with industrial music. Underground Light
Machine highlighted Valentine's talents both as a singer, as evidenced by the
sweetly sad melodies of "Dying Kind," and as a producer, with tracks ranging
from dance-friendly synthpop ("Ubiquitous") to quieter, more atmospheric
darkwave offerings like "Wasteland," which "evokes Victorian ghost children
languishing in dusty attics" (Matthew Johnson, Grave Concerns). Darkly whimsical cover art by painter Allison Meierding helped tie together the album's sound to Cindergarden's industrial-gone-Victorian aesthetic, and the album garnered both critical acclaim and widespread club and radio play, with tracks featured at such institutions as seminal L.A. steampunk institution Malediction Society.
Valentine followed Cindergarden's debut with The ULM Remixes. Released in
February 2008, this eight-track digital download is less a typical remix
collection than a complete, if condensed, reinterpretation of the entire
Underground Light Machine album. Featuring a wide range of contributors ranging from Valentine's friends in the Los Angeles musicians' community (System Syn, In Vaein, The Tleilaxu Music Machine) to some of her own musical inspirations (Neuroticfish, Penal Colony, Babyland's Dan Gatto), the EP moves from melancholy synthpop to hard-edged IDM, breakcore, and industrial eclecticism and back again while retaining the unique moods of its source material.
At the same time, Valentine was also completing Cindergarden's sophomore
full-length, The Clandestine Experiment. Drastically different from Underground
Light Machine, the new album has a much slicker, more professional sound to it, though wavering bent tones on "Genesis" and tinnily tinkling harpsichords on
"Mire" confirm Valentine's fondness for vintage electronics and spooky antique
atmospheres. Valentine describes her own role recording the album as that of a mad scientist, and indeed there's a much more experimental mood in play. Tracks range from gothic trip-hop ("Sacrament") to aggressive goth/industrial in the vein of Diva Destruction and The Razor Skyline ("Alibi") to dense, darkly
cinematic soundscapes in the vein of latter-day Skinny Puppy ("The Clandestine Experiment"). The Clandestine Experiment also features guest performances from Clint Carney of System Syn (Valentine is also System Syn's live keyboardist) and live Cindergarden drummer Nick Liberatore. Diverse enough for both club-play and quieter, more intimate occasions, The Clandestine Experiment will appeal to fans of industrial and goth alike.
In 2009 Jaymie Valentine signed a deal with machineKUNT records, for a limited edition hard copy release of “The Clandestine Experiment” which is now available at www.machineKUNT.com
Hi Jaymie, How're you doing? Remember that I wrote you a while ago regarding your CD that I had ordered? Well, everything's fine now. The next day I received a notice stating that I needed to pick up the letter at the customs office. :)
The Clandestine Experiment is awesome. I like the cover, I like the design, I love having the lyrics close at hand, and I definitely love your music. Thank you for sharing your creativity.
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