Vandaveer

Vandaveer is Kentuckian songwriter/ folk singer Mark Charles Heidinger who, together with sister Rose Guerin, has delivered a superb follow-up to his 2007 debut album. Divide & Conquer contains ten acoustic-orientated tracks that, musically, draw echoes of 60’s and 70’s-style folk singers like early Dylan or Nick Drake.
The songs deal with themes of love, loss, God, evil, death and resurrection. If Mark weren’t a born Kentuckian, then lyrically, the songs might suggest he’s a singer influenced by tales from the Deep South.

The tracks are beautifully crafted, with mellow and laid-back nuances that stand in contrast to the frequently dark themes they’re about. There is also a rather theatrical, sometimes even surreal quality to each of the songs – you can visualize how the songs might morph into a short film while listening to them.

‘Fistful Of Swoon’ for example starts off with an arrangement slightly reminiscent of a Tom Waits tune and lyrics that go with it: “The stench of sulphur climbing up the drain open up your chest, your heart would smell the same. You got a swagger, you got a fistful of swoon, Blood on your hands, steady that silver spoon.”

Other songs like ‘Resurrection Mary’ or ‘Long Lost Cause’ are typical of how Mark and sister Rose compliment each other, while fellow musicians Justin Craig and Robby Cosenza contribute to the harmonious arrangements. Mark and Rose’s voices are always prominently in the foreground, albeit without compromising the instrumental backup.

A truly outstanding number is ‘Mighty Leviathan Of Old’. Here is a song that encapsulates the very Southern Gothic elements I mentioned earlier on, both in lyrical content as well as in musical arrangement. Like a melodramatic short story by William Faulkner.

“I found that I find the things that you find important
Rather peculiar.
The space in between you and me
Has grown darker and deep and bigger.
Were it not for the knots that we tied long and taught
We might not be hanging around
At opposite ends of a towering span
Over troubled waters below.
Down a raging river with a deadly undertow
We circled the moat and you rocked the boat
Like a mighty Leviathan of old.”

Ironically, one of the album’s songs - ‘The Sound & The Fury’ - is named after a Faulkner novel.

The title track ‘Divide & Conquer’ is surprisingly indistinctive for the fact that, well, it’s the title track! While the arrangement is no doubt charming and there even seems to be a touch of Glockenspiel in the background, the number could do with a bit more edge.
All in all, the album oozes finesse and it’s great to hear a duo that understands the craft of excellent song-writing combined with effective musical accompaniments.

(Please read my interview with Mark Charles Heidinger in our ‘Interviews’ section)