The story of a song-project is not new. Best reflected in Sufjan Stevens now defunct Fifty States Project or Paleo’s more militant Song Diary which resulted in 365 songs in 365 days, and oddly applauded by Dick Cheney – song projects tend to get some hype. But in the case of the enigmatic Diane Cluck, the pledge of a song a week for six months is more than hype. It’s a carefully made promise that something about the universe will be revealed to you in her otherworldly prose. It’s a guarantee that something beautiful will arrive in your inbox, and it’s the good vibes you’ll receive from supporting one of the most introspective and uninhibited folk legends we have.

Diane Cluck’s experimental freak folk is a kin to the likes of Neutral Milk Hotel or Paul Westerberg mythology, but with the more feminine sweetness of Laura Marling or Marissa Nadler. She released much of her material in the early 2000s, my most treasured being Monarcana (a collection of unfinished demos from 2001-2004, complete with the hissing tape of lo-fi bedroom recordings) with some of the most gut-wrenching, imaginative lyrics I’ve ever heard. It all feels so jarring and bizarre that its hypnotizing. She’s got bizarre bits that just repeat on and on, “walk up to the snake, get bit, die”. It’s either the perfect metaphor for life and death, or just some words she thought up spontaneously. She’s either a genius, or she’s out of her mind.  I’m so grateful to have found her art.

She only has until January 30th to complete her goal of raising $15 000 to execute the project (she gives a rundown of the cost of everything involved). Similar to Kickstarter there are various levels of commitment – all of which can be found here. If you love Diane Cluck’s music and you’d like to support DIY independent artists, you can do that here.

Listen to Diane Cluck “Real Good Time” here