And what better environment in which to delve into the painful, vulnerable space of writing about yourself than the comfort of home, the place you were before you gave yourself away?
Jordan revealed her biggest misstep of 2019: “I think there’s something to be said for having some of yourself to go home to so that you don’t give yourself away.” She’s more sure of herself this time around. It’s a record that brims with the lessons learned in the intervening years since 2018’s Lush, every note and syllable conscious and considered but not second-guessed. It was here that she started working on Valentine in earnest. She isn’t taking this too seriously, but at the same time, she is taking it really, really seriously.Īt the start of the pandemic, Jordan decamped from her New York apartment to her parents’ house in Maryland’s leafy suburbs. While on “Headlock”, she sings about filling a bath with warm water because, as she mumbles, “Thought I’d see her when I died.” Jordan browses hugely personal topics on Valentine-her month-long stay in a rehabilitation facility, unhealthy relationships, depression, reliance on love-but does so with a self-aware wink.
SNAIL MAIL (MUSICIAN) FULL
In the title track’s music video, Jordan shoves her mouth full of chocolate cake before murdering her lover’s husband in a bloody Shakespearean tragedy set to punch-the-air indie pop. This Saundersian dark/funny juxtaposition is all over Snail Mail’s sophomore album Valentine. Saunders’ short fiction deals in the facetious and macabre, such as a 400-pound raccoon exterminator who accidentally kills his boss and primary tormentor. ( Author rating: 7.In a recent Pitchfork interview, Lindsey Jordan-the 22-year-old singer-songwriter behind Snail Mail-noted that one of her influences is George Saunders. No Snail Mail fans are going to be shocked or shaken by Valentine’s 10 tracks, but they’ll definitely be delighted at their continued elegance. Instead, we’re witnessing a slow but sure march towards a Lindsey Jordan that is more confident, more sure of herself, and more heartbreakingly honest in her delicate songwriting. This isn’t a new version of Lindsey Jordan. Like many sophomore efforts, Valentine is an incremental improvement on what was already a solid foundation. Given that, some of its safer (and, at times, lacklustre) choices are still executed well, it’s hard to holistically criticize the album’s approach. Of course, Jordan’s first kick at the can was already so mature that it was almost unrealistic to expect her to exponentially jump to even deeper levels of narrative insight and expanse. “Madonna” is, similarly, a welcome change of pace, with its smooth, off-kilter melodies framing relaxed and warbly verses. et al.,” Jordan brings us right up to her aged acoustic guitar, taking all the energy out of her voice to give a gorgeously exhausted performance. In that sense, Valentine is a bit underwhelming, since it doesn’t see her take any monumental steps forward in terms of musical or compositional complexity.īut even in its sometimes underwhelming safety, there are some truly spectacular moments, with the buzzy creaks of “Light Blue” and the beautiful “Mia” among them. There are times on Valentine when Jordan very clearly plays it safe and sticks to her guns on “Glory,” she harkens back to the Lush song “Speaking Terms” and channels her breathy self on “Headlock.” These songs could have very well fit in nicely on Lush in all of their simple and straightforward glory. On her long-awaited second album, Valentine, carefully arranged love songs are placed on a glasslike pedestal and surrounded by confident, unobtrusive vocal performances, the likes of which fans have come to love and appreciate. To most, her 2018 debut Lush heralded the arrival of indie’s next whiz kid. Under the semi-ironic stage name Snail Mail, Maryland-born singer/songwriter Lindsey Jordan constructs cerebral, approachable indie rock worthy of her delicate, prodigious veneer.
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