Vinca Minor – Isolation (2010, Second Shimmy)
Vinca Minor’s Isolation is the latest project and release from Ball of Wax contributor and all-around prolific local artist Matt Menovcik. You might know him such diverse acts as Ms. Led, Roxy and Clark, and Saeta. Vinca Minor falls more along the lines of Saeta than these others, while possibly more experimental. Long, moody, minimalist, ambient, reverbed-out synthesizer chord progressions and sparse piano feature heavily here, with occasional appearances by Menovcik’s trademark eerie, baritone vocals. Most of the album resembles film score music: 7-16 minute-long instrumentals reminiscent of Angelo Badalamenti, or interludes not unlike Kid A’s “Treefingers.” Consequently, it’s a bit odd to listen to without any accompanying visuals. Even the shorter compositions, like the acoustic-guitar driven “Waves” and “Raindrop,” which have lyrics, are still better described as “pieces” than “songs.” And I think that’s the point. This album is about texture and space, a soundtrack to a bleak mindscape.