Probably one of last year's best albums was made by David Michael Stith, a design student who quite accidentally got signed to Sufjan Stevens' Asthmatic Kitty label after designing some artwork for My Brightest Diamond. Stith seems to have inherited Andrew Bird's flair for unpredictabe yet elegant songwriting and classy arrangements, though Stith's music is undeniably less playful and more gloomy, even epic at times.
Title: Curtain Speech
Label: Asthmatic Kitty
Release date: December 9th 2008
Recording date: 2007-8Tracklist: 1. Around The Lion Legs 3:39 2. Curtain Speech 1:39 3. Just Once 7:34 4. Hoarse Sorrows And The Whole Blind Earth... 2:48 5. Abraham's Song (Firebird) 1:49
He debuted at 28 with the EP Curtain Speech, a small batch of outtakes from the sessions that would also produce his first full-length Heavy Ghost, released three months later. These tracks are not by any means inferior to the ones on the album; they just did not quite fit on there. His unique style and his haunting, wavering falsetto voice are already on display in "Around the Lion Legs", deftly employing a choir of ethereal voices, and in the 8-minute stand-out "Just Once", which moves from a gentle gloomy guitar lullaby into an epic whirlwind of emotions in a matter of minutes. The title track is a perfect little gem, with a cloud of soaring vocals hovering over a gentle piano pattern. "Hoarse Sorrows And The Whole Blind Earth..." is another moody instrumental piece, this time featuring metallic percussion and David whistling instead of singing. The charming little aphorism "Abraham's Song (Firebird)" closes the EP on a melancholy yet hopeful note with Stith's pointillistic lyrics joined by gentle guitar strumming.
7.8/10
Title: Heavy Ghost
Label: Asthmatic Kitty
Release date: March 10th 2009
Recording date: 2007-8
Tracklist: 1. Isaac's Song 1:38 2. Pity Dance 4:21 3. Creekmouth 4:10 4. Pigs 4:53 5. Spirit Parade 2:23 6. BMB 2:43 7. Thanksgiving Moon 3:59 8. Fire Of Birds 5:13 9. Morning Glory Cloud 3:55 10. GMS 2:35 11. Braid Of Voices 5:26 12. Wig 2:34
The short "Isaac's Song" opens Heavy Ghost quite chaotically, as Stith impersonates the mad vocal genius of Pere Ubu's David Thomas while the piano and drums conjure up a storm. Having gained the listener's full attention, Stith strikes gold with "Pity Dance" (available for download here), that starts as a lovely little mariachi-tinged waltz but shifts gear into a soaring maelstrom of instruments, all brilliantly augmenting Stith's confessional lyrics. After "Creekmouth", an infectious romp of tribal drumming, glockenspiel, and overdubbed falsetto vocals, "Pigs" again showcases Stith's unique compositional style, boasting ghostly background vocals and unusual staccato guitar strumming. After a deceptively romantic beginning, "BMB" gradually turns into a dissonant avantgarde piece with piercing, Pendereckian strings. "Spirit Parade" sounds like an Indian ritual invocation or exorcism, with freaky vocals and percussion over a steady rhythm. "Thanksgiving Moon" (the earliest song here, dating back to 2005) puts the spotlight on his melodic talent, as it is one of the most straightforward songs on the album, featuring a lovely brass section that slowly emerges halfway through the song. The tender opening of "Fire of Birds" (one of the highlights) soon transforms into a galloping, exuberant celebration dance. "Morning Glory Cloud" is a simple yet sublimely beautiful song, featuring one of his most memorable melodies, before hammered piano chords and pounding drums derail it. After the atmospheric instrumental track "GMS", "Braid of Voices" brings the album to its logical conclusion, purging the emotional tension that had been built up. This is an incredibly intense and yet very sophisticated work, taking the listener on a rollercoaster through the artist's whimsical states of mind: wistfulness, despair, hope, pain and joy (among others) are all felt deeply on this recording.
8.3/10
The elegance, intensity and strange immediate appeal of Stith's atypical compositions are mesmerizing. It is refreshing to see that an artist using such orthodox instrumentation can still sound this fresh and creative.
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