Cat Power
Speaking For Trees
(Matador)

It would seem a bit ironic that indie rock's most notoriuosly shy chanetuse would release a DVD which features nothing but her for over an hour and a half, but there's nothing kids love more than irony. Speaking for Trees is a stream-of-consciousness video woven together by reknowned visual artist Mark Borthwick in the middle of the woods in the summer of 2002. It features a fixed camera focused on a mid-distance Chan Marshall as she rambles through a cyclical set of some of her best originals and well picked covers. These are augmented only by the chirping of crickets and the occasional laughter of children. While the film is by no means exciting, it is powerful, both as an amazing sonic experience and a powerful visual statement.

Speaking for Trees, along with the "videos" that serve as extras and the sixty page booklet of Borthwick's art, are really about intimacy. Chan is at her most vulnerable here (in front of an audience), with nothing to hide behind except her guitar, a family at play on a beach, children in the grass. These visuals are meant to make us feel connected. Again, not terribly exciting, but beautiful.

A friend asked me to describe this DVD to him before he made a decision to buy it, and I told him it was a one-hour-and-forty-minute painting that moves and has a soundtrack (like one of those portraits on the wall in Harry Potter). In fact, when my clearly promising career of writing record reviews makes me a multi-millionaire, I'm going to buy one of those flat-screen wall hanging TVs and put Speaking for Trees on a continuous loop. I will repeat, it's not exciting, but it is highly enjoyable. Certainly, this release is not the best introduction to Cat Power, but if you are a fan, you should buy it. And if you figure out a way to separate the audio and put it on CD, send me a copy. Please...

But Wait!!! There's more!!! Speaking for Trees also comes with a one track CD, an eighteen minute epic entitled "Willie Deadwilder." The song, which features guitar by M. Ward, is stunning. Simply put, if Chan Marshall continues to write songs like "Willie Deadwilder" she will become our generation's Bob Dylan.

Anyway, Speaking for Trees is one of the reasons that music artwork and packaging remains so vital. The combination CD/DVD/Booklet is a work of art. It is an artifact. Buy it, enjoy it, then frame it.

-Dan


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