Hem Rabbit Songs CD

Quoted as wanting to make a record "we could love the rest of our lives," Hem spent a year on this collection. The idea was to combine their love of traditional American music with the lushness of the occasional 18-piece orchestra, a good choice considering the sweet, crystalline quality of the vocal work by lead singer Sally Ellyson. Ellyson had never sung professionally before, but answered an ad in The Village Voice with a cassette of lullabies she'd recorded for a friend's child, and the set begins with a snippet of what was on that tape -- a few lines unaccompanied from the traditional "Lord, Blow the Moon Out Please." Her voice, untarnished, as it may have been by spending nights on end singing in smoky bars, was worth waiting for. Rabbit Songs' sound is lyrical, melodic, and pure. It was recorded in the old-fashioned, non-digital manner and that devotion to tradition is apparent in each song, whether in simple and sparse arrangements or full of strings and glockenspiel. The songs, which speak of devotion, loss, and voyeurism, don't try to sound old -- they just have an effortlessly timeless appeal. "Betting on Trains," with its simple ebb and flow, is particularly lovely; "When I Was Drinking" speaks knowingly of disappointment, the effects of which are punctuated by swirling pedal steel; and "Horsey" swoons along to the old-time violin work of Carol Sharar like a relic from the past. ~ Travis Drageset

In the spring of 1999, songwriter Dan Messé (piano, glockenspiel, harmonium) teamed up with producer/engineer Gary Maurer (guitar, mandolin) and decided to make a record. He hoped that it would stylistically interweave their interest in traditional American music with more of a contemporary aesthetic. Dan and Gary's mutual friend Steve Curtis (guitar, mandolin) became involved and all that was needed was a singer.The band placed an ad in the Village Voice. An onslaught of bizarre demos followed suit and so the ad was pulled.Shortly thereafter a woman named Sally Ellyson called Dan in response to it, cautioning that she wasn't really a "singer". To get her off the phone Dan asked for a demo, skeptical to say the least. This home-made tape of Sally unaccompanied, singing versions of traditional lullabies, was spare, deceptively uncomplicated and as spine-tingling as anything Dan could have hoped for. The band that would now call itself Hem had found its singer.Having started off as a low-budget collaboration between musician friends, the Rabbit Songs sessions seemed to take on a life of their own. As the album began to take shape, the band realized that they were creating something special. Dan commenced selling off most of his personal possessions so he could afford the 18 piece orchestras, and the luxury of being as painstaking as they wanted over the arrangements of each song. No samples, no synths, no Pro-Tools mixing and no digital studio wizardry were employed. Rabbit Songs is an old school album, recorded the old school way. Gary, a seasoned studio engineer, has worked with a host of artists and bands including Jon Spencer, Luna, Fountains Of Wayne and James Iha.A fragment of the home-made tape Sally made for Dan serves as the starting point for Rabbit Songs' historical exploration of American music. The music is lush and filled with eclectic harmonies: a mandolin enveloped by an eighteen-piece orchestra, a pedal steel accentuated by a glockenspiel, underpinned by the guitar in an elaborate framework. And through it all, Sally's beautiful voice shaping each word.Rabbit Songs is a labor of love. As you listen, we hope you will understand why band members were bankrupted to complete it.

Hem: Dan Messe, Gary Maurer, Steve Curtis, Sally Ellyson.

Hem: Sally Ellyson (vocals); Steve Curtis (guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Gary Maurer (guitar, mandolin); Dan Messe (piano, harmonium, glockenspiel, background vocals).

Additional personnel: Bob Hoffnar (pedal steel guitar); Heather Zimmerman, Ed Malave, Jeff0 EllenEntertainment Weekly (1/10/03, p.71) - "...A fusion of folk bohemia and chamber pop that recalls everything from the ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC to Joni Mitchell to the Cowboy Junkies....a rich debut that shouldn't be overlooked..." - Rating: A-
Magnet (8-9/02, p.77) - "...American music doesn't get any better than this....The recording is pristine, the band's playing is smartly, delicately minimal and the orchestral arrangements are beautifully ballanced..."
CMJ (8/5/02, p.14) - "...A disarmingly beautiful album..."