Papercranes' Rain Phoenix Rocks Naturally on 'Let's Make Babies' -- Exclusive Video

Posted on Jan 25th 2011 12:00PM by Mike Ayers
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Gino DePinto, AOL

At first glance, it might appear that papercranes' second album, 'Let's Make Babies in the Woods,' is merely an ode to a rather fun camping trip, but vocalist Rain Phoenix explains that it's a bit more philosophical than that.

"A boy once said that to me, not someone I knew very well. It was just like flippant, almost like a one-liner," Phoenix tells Spinner. "To me, the record was very fertile and it was about letting go of things ... The songs are like red-headed step children."

Giving birth to songs certainly isn't a new thing for Phoenix. She first dabbled in music with her brother River back when they were kids growing up as South American missionaries. But her story has taken on a different pathway since her brothers made their mark on Hollywood. While River's death was mourned by Hollywood for years in the '90s and Joaquin Phoenix earned raves for his adaptation of Johnny Cash in 'Walk the Line,' Rain has quietly set out to forge a different musical identity with her band Papercranes.

Watch papercranes' Video for 'Synapses'

'Let's Make Babies in the Woods' finds Phoenix reveling in dark, moody arrangements that reflect subtle jazz and African influences, sounding a bit like a Hope Sandoval album. For example, 'Synapses' starts off with a haunting piano line before being interrupted by an acoustic guitar and Phoenix's ethereal voice. As the song develops, a myriad of different rhythmic elements come into play, revealing layers of drums and string instruments.

Phoenix herself has dabbled in acting but this isn't your typical "actress makes a record" album -- as she says, they're completely separate sphere in her life. "What I love about acting is that I don't have to be me," she says. "It's your chance to put whatever energy or thoughts or feelings I have into somebody else. But in terms of music, it's so completely me and so authentically me I can't really fake or pretend to be this kind of rocker. I very much am myself and feel very gratified with the performance aspect."

Watch Phoenix explain more about the evolution of papercranes and her musical influences in our exclusive video interview. 'Making Babies in the Woods' is out now on Manimal Vinyl.

Watch Rain Phoenix's Spinner Interview

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