With Van Dyke Parks’ new Songs Cycled (Bella Union), the renowned composer, arranger and vocalist (in that order), not only releases his first album of originals since 1995’s Orange Crate Art (with Brian Wilson singing), but lends his usually complex creations a renewed sense of simplicity. The thoughts may be determinedly complicated and touched by the soul of social protest, but Parks’ music is deliciously direct, while remaining as elegant as anything he’s done for himself (à la 1968’s chamber-pop initiator Song Cycle) or others (the Beach Boys and Rufus Wainwright amongst them). Parks will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature with him.
Parks: This album satisfies on so many levels. It’s chamber music set to some whimsical intimate reflections on the female urban dilemma: a coming of age. All of it, penned by the insouciant Inara, who’s created a durable album as worthy as anything from her hi-con work with techno-pop duo Bird And The Bee.
Video after the jump.
