Much admired guitarist, songwriter and prolific recording artist Jenn Wasner is best know for her work as part of the duo Wye Oak. Along with Andy Stack, Wye Oak (named after the state tree of Maryland) produced guitar and drum (Stack plays a bassline on a synth whilst drumming) driven folk-indie dream pop that have earned them a cult status over in the States and here in the UK.

Concurrently, Wasner has developed her own solo project, Flock of Dimes, culminating in this, the release of her debut album, a smorgasbord of 80s inspired indie-electro-pop sounds and textures that features her melody-rich songwriting craft and vocals that articulate her world of worry and self-discovery, earning her the title of a '21st century Joni Mitchell'.

About a year ago, Wasner left her native Baltimore for Durham, North Carolina, and on If You See Me, Say Yes there is a palpable sense of this moment of change, looking into the future with one eye looking back at what has been left behind. With help from collaborators Mickey Freeland and Aaron Roche, and mixed by John Congleton, Wasner wrote, performed, and self-produced the record almost in its entirety.

Wasner has explained her decision to move thus; "I’ve realised of late how important it is for me to be alone. Ironically, it wasn’t because I was dissatisfied with my life in Baltimore… ?in order to appreciate the immense love and beauty that surrounds me in Baltimore, I had to move away from it. It was like trying to take in the whole of a beautiful painting with my nose pressed against the canvas. Stepping back, it all came into focus, and I could appreciate each and every tiny detail of the fabric of my community?-?how special they are; how lucky I am."

And indeed there is a joy and excitement within the album's grooves that is apparent from the beginning, bar the first 20 seconds or so, an uber-short track called 'Sometimes It Is Right…', which has a dream-like monochromatic and eerie feel, mirrored by the closing counterpart of '…To Have No Answer'. 'Sometimes It Is Right…' immediately segues into 'Birthplace', all early house percussive rhythms, warped guitar strokes and analogue synths, coming together like leftfield 80s synth-pop. "And I only have this one body," she sings, a paean to her roots, and yet a recognition of her changing circumstances, her need to be alone in order to achieve, to remember, to feel complete, and to apologise for this distance she is creating between herself and those she cares for. "My love is not an object that rusts with lack of use," she sings.

Similarly, with a very slight, and also warped African undertow, 'The Joke' also has an 80s production/style; slide guitar, arpeggiated chords, and spooky synth lines inhabit this upbeat Fleetwood Mac-style number, that weaves around a tricksy melody held together by the technically superb and versatile vocal of Wasner. There's also an infectiously weaving melody that inhabits 'Everything Is Happening Today'. Here there are two songs in one, the slower, shimmering and floating verse giving way to a frantic chorus, underpinned by a slamming percussive beat, a stammering bass synth line and soprano vocal, a similar style employed on the more lyrically abstract 'Semaphore'; a confident and flying groove underpinning another 80s-style production and sensibility.

Elsewhere 'Ida Glow' begins with a pulsing, Jean Michel-Jarreesque synth lead opening, before Wasner's voice comes in, effects overlaid, some disco-house 'pops', arpeggiated and shimmering guitar at work, the song steadily building before breaking down into multiple wonky-synth territory. It's tremendously inventive music, that never sits still and yet maintains a flow that 'completes' almost every single song here. Both 'Flight' and 'Apparition' continues this spacious 80s synth aesthetic, Wasner slowing things down a tad, sounding like a retro Bat For Lashes as her voice becomes the centrepoint; breezily and hauntingly emotional in its clarity.

Viewed as a kind of musical postcard to those she cares about, the title of the album is saying: 'I'm still here, don't forget about me,' as Wasner harnesses these creative and emotional needs to express herself in ways she can only do within the confines of recording studios. Or her imaginative own space. The result is a work that features dense, but not claustrophobic, alt-pop gems. A great deal of thought, reflection and musical experimentation has gone into almost everything here, and is almost all the work of Wasner alone.

“As it turns out, I like to be alone”, Wasner says. "In fact, I absolutely adore it. Allowing myself more opportunities to be in my own company is one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever given myself. I don’t think this record? -?or anything I’ve ever made, really?-?would exist without that separation, that loneliness, the longing to bridge the gap and fill the empty spaces between people."
Jeff Hemmings

Website: flockofdimes.com
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