CASSANDRA JENKINS
If you haven’t heard already, let me get you across Cassandra Jenkins new album My Light, My Destroyer released by Dead Oceans. A pretty whimsical assortment of songs, where you see Cassandra experiment with a range of sonic sounds, that takes you on a stationary journey through the stars. We asked the New York native a few questions about what her process was like creating My Light, My Destroyer, have a read below and enjoy your cosmic listening journey.
Pooneh Ghana
WANDERER: Firstly, congratulations on the release of your third album, My Light, My Destroyer. What was the main inspiration behind this album for you?
CASSANDRA: Thank you! I always pull from my experiences and my inherent response to them vs. having a concept that I’m trying to execute. I try to listen to my songwriting and let it show me where it wants to go. I was inspired by all the books I was reading, and the people and places I was seeing last year– family and friends especially. Anne Carson really sparked a lot of my early ideas. My friend Gideon inspired me a lot because we’re working on a play together that pops up in my record a bit – I love when projects bleed into one another!
From your previous releases to now, where do you feel like you’ve grown the most (in terms of sound and live performance and as an artist)?
I think I’ve developed more as a songwriter and wordsmith. In terms of sound, I was more ambitious and I’ve developed more as an engineer– I’m more comfortable having agency in general, especially in the studio. In terms of live performance, there’s only one way to get better at that, and it’s doing it. I feel more present on stage than I ever have before. I performed a lot over the past 3 years and what’s come of it is enjoying that time on stage more– it’s the shortest and best part of any given day on tour.
You’ve created such a span on sonic sounds from the use of static sounds and what sounds like recorded phone calls to violins and beautifully toned guitars, what has encouraged you to play around with such a range of sounds?
As long as I’ve been recording, I’ve been in the practice of treating sound like music– it’s all music to me. Field recordings are so potent– I try to be very discerning about what I let in
I heard that a lot of these tracks have been held within notebooks for years. What was the main criteria for the song selections of this album and why did you feel ready to work through these songs?
It takes time to process life experience sometimes– especially when major global events become the foreground. When I feel like I’ve gained some understanding around an event or emotion, that’s a powerful feeling– it’s free from reaction and the charge that complex emotions sometimes hold.
In your previous album An Overview on Phenomenal Nature you released a song called Hailey and the final track on this album is Hayley, was there a reason to call these songs the same name spelt differently?
Don’t forget Halley from my first LP– that was where it began. That one was about Halley’s comet. When I wrote a song about my friend Hailey Gates, I realized I had started a pattern. When it came time to title that last track, Hailey and I laughed over the phone saying, well, “we can’t stop now!” Maybe next we’ll write a song together.
What would you suggest to be the ideal set up and situation to be listening to My Light, My Destroyer?
A planetarium – we did a listening party at the East Village planetarium in NYC, and if I haven’t been shouting it enough, I love planetariums! I have a lot of ideas in store
Anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for listening to my record!