Cassandra Jenkins has revisited the song “Crosshairs” from her 2021 album An Overview on Phenomenal Nature in the form of a new video for an alternate version, “Crosshairs (interlude),” which itself appeared the subsequent compilation (An Overview on) An Overview on Phenomenal Nature.
The video clip is a collaboration between Jenkins, filmmaker Adinah Dancyger, and writer/activist/sex worker Liara Roux. “Liara was a dream collaborator — they really guided the conversation, and on set they were full of ideas, both light-hearted and intentional, at ease and vibrant,” Jenkins tells SPIN of the intimate shoot with Roux. “They’re also an incredible communicator, very expressive, [and] highly attuned to the intricacies of play.”
As for Dancyger, Jenkins enthuses, “Adinah has shot some of my favorite music videos, and I loved trusting her vision from start to finish. She also brought her warmth and interest in movement to the project, which fostered a beautiful environment for creating something collaboratively.”
Also out today is the cassette-only release Chale Jaana: Cassandra Jenkins & Suhail Yusuf Khan Live, which features material from both the original and An Overview on versions of An Overview on Phenomenal Nature. It was originally recorded for Sonos Radio’s Music is Everything! podcast and finds Jenkins teaming for the first time with noted sarangi player Khan. Jenkins duplicated and signed each cassette herself.
Jenkins told SPIN last year that she was pleasantly surprised how many people connected with An Overview on Phenomenal Nature, which she made after a period of self-doubt when she sold nearly all of her musical instruments. “I’ll get emails and DMs from people saying, like, ‘I just lost my mom and this song is really helping me through that,’” she said. “Waking up and reading that first thing in the morning, feeling their pain, is really intense. But as someone who hasn’t always felt comfortable expressing themselves or expressing their opinion in an outright way — especially when I’m talking about things that are difficult — to be witnessed and accepted is so healing and so wonderful.”
Jenkins is touring this month on the east coast, with dates set for Dec. 13 in Cambridge, Mass., Dec. 14 in Brooklyn, N.Y., Dec. 16 in Westerly, R.I., Dec. 17 in Portland, Me., and Dec. 18 in South Burlington, Vt.
Here is the track list for Chale Jaana: Cassandra Jenkins & Suhail Yusuf Khan Live:
Side A:
“The Ramble (Morning)”
“Michelangelo”
“New Bikini”
“Hard Drive”
“The Ramble (Night)”
Side B:
“Crosshairs (interlude)”
“The Ramble (New York)”
