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Since 2006, Cindergarden's sole creator, Jaymie Valentine, has bewitched a vital portion of the underground gothic/industrial scene. Despite having produced two critically acclaimed full-length albums with an unmistakable signature sound, Valentine has been noted for delivering a style and mood remarkably unique to each release. Also notable is her nightmarish, cryptic lyricism presented by “arrestingly pretty” vocals, which have helped Cindergarden to make a deep impression on the hearts of dark art-loving communities, electronic music connoisseurs and more.
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Cindergarden’s debut album Underground Light Machine is said to “redefine what dark electronic and dark ambient should be,” according to Althaus reviewer Chris Stead, and the album was chosen as one of the top five releases of 2006 by Dark Horizons Radio. The Clandestine Experiment (Cindergarden’s sophomore release) was named by ReGen Magazine reviewer Matthew Johnson as “a masterpiece of modern darkwave,” while industrial.org writer, Royce Icon called the album “cinematic electronic goth music at its best."
In 2008, Jaymie Valentine embarked on a US tour as the live keyboard player for Metropolis-signed industrial band, System Syn. Shortly after touring, MachineKUNT Records began courting Valentine’s own music project, making a deal to release a limited edition hard copy version of The Clandestine Experiment. However, Valentine ended further contracts with the label, realizing her desire to continue playing the role of both administrator and artist.
Now in 2010 comes Cindergarden’s most recent offering, Grim Confections. Bringing with it an undeniably heightened level of compositional skill, beat programming, production, and a twist to the signature sound that is so innovative, this may be Valentine’s most important and stylized work to date. Garnished with intricate layers of beats and saturated with millions of tiny luxurious details, Valentine projects her latest dark vision through a candy-coated lens. Listeners are pulled into a continuously shifting and demented playland where mean and thrilling beats give way to lovely icy melodies. Ritualistic towering cakes set the scenes of destruction and nothing is what it appears to be within Valentine’s warped chimerical realm. As an added treat, some of Valentine’s own artwork is featured on the new record in the form of hand-drawn titles and other goodies, alongside the tried and true whimsical cover art of Allison Meireding.
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