Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

ASH REITER – Paper Diamonds

reviewed by Ryan Moore

From the first track of Paper Diamonds, the latest album by Northern California’s indie folk sweetheart, Ash Reiter, I felt like I was sinking into a delicious leather sofa…the kind you find on the side of the road and bring home to your front porch…the kind that wraps you in deep squeaky softness despite being pleasantly tainted by cigarette holes and bottle caps beneath the cushions. Reiter’s familiar but intriguing vocals are soft, comfortable, and somehow nostalgic. I wanted to call my sister, ya know, just to catch up. But where her peers (Cat Power, Zooey Deschanel) often fall back on soothing voices and smooth song structure, Ash and the band stray a bit, successfully including bits of disco, calypso, jazz, and alt-country.

While pop-friendly dance-alongs such as “Francais” and “Paper Diamonds” will likely be the first you play for your friends, the slower tracks are layered with a commendable variety of instrumentation, ranging from gritty sequencers and distorted feedback to clumsy clarinets and the occasional laser. The drums carry a lot of weight as well, thanks to Reiter’s drummer and primary collaborator, Will Hasley. Lyrically, Reiter covers the typical spectrum of love and lack-thereof, but she crafts poetic songs that are relatable without being cliche. She sings, “I’ve seen stars cut down to sparks and I have watched angles tear the world apart,” on the title track, and warns, “I will surely let you down…if you’ll only let me” on the jazzy “La Bahia.”

Whether she’s floating through a light-hearted ballad or sulking behind a wall of beautiful noise, Ash Reiter is undeniably appealing and has released an album that surpasses the standard releases within the indie-folk genre. When was the last time your expectations were actually exceeded, let alone met? Ash is San Francisco’s sweetheart, and should I make her acquaintance someday, I’m definitely going in for a hug.

(self-released, no address provided)