the Venus Extraction - ONE

The Venus Extraction

ONE 
self-released; 2014

3.8 out of 5

By Eva Cantillo

Welcome to the world of Jeffrey Campbell. In the musical world, he is better known as The Venus Extraction and under this persona he gives his audiences an eclectic score of folk-driven experimental indie music. Campbell is from Canada and he successfully recorded and mixed his latest album ONE in his living room showing the capabilities available to modern day musicians through technology. The sound is crisp and almost has a surround sound effect to it that is layered and dynamic.

It is hard to compare the music with ONE to other studio recordings, but it may be something akin to a conservative blend of Architecture in Helsinki, The Shins and Sun Kil Moon. The music has an undeniable indie persona but contains a consistent folk and classical rock influence; you can see these roots peeking through some of the tracks on ONE.

“Broken Wine Glass” begins with a beautiful quivering guitar chord that then settles into a somewhat psychedelic melody that then gently and thoughtfully carries you through the rest of the song. The lyrics set the mood for existential traveling; “I'm on a beach, staring out onto the ocean while I'm sitting on my couch, staring up at the ceiling.” The story behind this song is quite impactful and has a strong message to relay, “Women in nightclubs, selling themselves for some drinks, young and old looking for yuppies and freaks… While I'm sitting on my couch, staring up at the ceiling.” The contrast between the inside and outside world represents a beautiful poetic metaphor that breaks traditional word play.

ONE is a special set of songs that is great for relaxing or transcending into a creative mood. The music is ethereal and existential and filled with metaphors and small anecdotes of dynamic stories. The album is well recorded and as each song is different, they nicely come together to create a lasting blend of experimental indie music that anyone into the genre can easily slip away to.

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