Iditarod - The River Nektar (Reissue)
(Blue Sanct)
Haunting, medieval madrigals ("Meadows"), avant-garde folk (although Timothy Renner hadn't coined the term wyrdfolk yet, this is what he was referring to when he did), experiments in found sounds, field recordings, tape loops ("Dictation and Transcription"), and brief instrumental sorbets to cleanse the palette as the various moods and styles pass by ("Helms A'Lee," "Servants Serve," "East Ring Dell" "The Lorelei," et. al.) abound on the reissue of this Providence, RI duo's debut album (originally issued by Hub City in 1998), complimented here by an additional half hour of bonus material. Carin Wagner's fragile vocals tiptoe a fine line between singing and speaking the lyrics and occasionally crack under the mounting tension. "Gold Berry White" is vintage Patti Smith circa her Horses' tone poems, while most other songs are delivered over Jeffrey Alexander's gently plucked, occasionally syncopated, yet undeniably folky guitar lines, sort of like Nick Drake with a nervous twitch.
Wagner's vocals are often hushed to the point of a whisper (as on "Boat"), encouraging the listener to lean inwardly towards the speakers to catch every nuance. "Providence," the album's highlight, features an interesting vocal approach that combines Melanie, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Joan Armatrading over the album's most linear melody for a gentle, almost swaying folk ballad. "Mariner" incorporates the traditional "Greensleeves" melody to add to the haunting sorrow of this lovely ballad, and the live version of "Garden" which closes the original album also features a forlorn, childlike melody sure to bring a tear to the eye. I can also imagine myself sitting in a cozy coffeehouse next to a crackling fire listening to Carin's lilting, simultaneously crackling voice deliver this heartfelt tale.
Most of the songs are very short (under three minutes, with several clocking in under two), suggesting the Iditarod are here to speak/sing their piece and get on with it, a refreshing outlook in today's tediously drawn out experimental world.
As to the bonus material, "Move" is a pretty acoustic guitar instrumental and "Sylvia Jean," not one of Carin's better vocal performances, nevertheless features interesting instrumentation. A lovely cover of Donovan's "Lullabye of Spring" (when I interviewed them recently, Jeffrey & Carin both mentioned Donovan as one of their biggest influences and someone they would love to collaborate with) is augmented by sound effects of chirping birds, adding a corny but enjoyable air of virtual reality to the sentiment of the changing of the seasons. It doesn't quite rise to the level of the bazouki players in that old Monty Python cheese shoppe sketch, but you get the idea.
Two nice additions are the live version of "Boat" and the original studio version of "Garden," giving the listener an excellent opportunity to compare notes and fully appreciate how the Iditarod transform their compositions for the live setting. And the long out-of-print cover of Eno's "Fat Lady of Limbourg" indicates the couple would be prime candidates for any upcoming tribute albums to today's more esoteric artists.
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