Faith & Disease: Charlotte Sather (vocals, flute); Dara Rosenwasser (vocals); Eric Cooley (guitar, piano, organ, bass); Barry Semple (drums).
Additional personnel: Greg Forshler, Jim Sykes (guitar); Nancy Wharton (cello); Don Amburn (mandolin); John Clough (piano, keyboards); DA Sebasstian (keyboards, programming).
Recorded at Avast!, Seattle, Washington.
Personnel: Dara Rosenwasser (vocals); Eric Cooley (guitar, acoustic guitar, grand piano, organ); Greg Forschler (guitar); John Clough (grand piano, keyboards); D.A. Sebasstian (keyboards, synthesizer, drums, programming).
Recording information: Avast!, Seattle, WA.
Having quietly built up a well-deserved reputation throughout the '90s as purveyors of darkly beautiful, goth-tinged music, Faith and Disease hit the year 2000 with another fine effort, the lovely Beneath These Trees. The core duo of Rosenwasser and Cooley still nail it song for song, her dreamy, haunting singing and his quietly elegant performances on guitar, keyboards, and other instruments in perfect harmony. Drummer Semple deserves note for his subtle, strong-without-seeming-it work, while Sather completes the regular lineup with her work on harmony vocals and flute. It all begins on an almost impossibly great note, with the a cappella duet between Rosenwasser and Sather on the title track shifting into "Rubina Verde." Easily the equal of the best work of Low in terms of hushed drama and atmosphere, it's both a standout track for Rosenwasser's gorgeous singing and the band's collective sense of performance. Some numbers recall the songs on Insularia, which explored a more rural, folk/country side of the group, a vein further tapped here with fine results. "If I Drink From This Cup" features Rosenwasser letting a slight but clear twang into her singing, just enough, while the slow piano, cello, and guitar parts often recall the hushed mood of Mojave 3's earliest efforts. Even more striking in context is "Banks of the Ohio," a traditional murder ballad recorded in an intentionally scratchy 78 rpm mix that really does sound like an archival Smithsonian Folkways number. One of the more intriguing numbers is "To See Her in This Light," which reverses the usual formula for the band in that Rosenwasser wrote the music and Cooley the words. It's still another great number from them, though, with a lovely flute part from Sather to help distinguish it. Add in such other notables as the elegiac "Eventually Again" and Faith and Disease enter a new decade with style and grace intact. ~ Ned Raggett
Faith & Disease - Beneath The Trees Album Track Listing
Trk
Song
1
Beneath These Trees
2
Rubina Verde
3
If I Drink from This Cup
4
Mayim: Water Is Flowing
5
To See Her in This Light
6
This Part of Fortune Lies
7
Eventually Again
8
Shallow: Two Doors Down
9
Banks Of The Ohio
10
Born and Died on the 23rd
Beneath The Trees Music Review
Customer Beneath The Trees Reviews
Average Rating: (5 out of 5 stars)
TOTALLY under-rated GEM of a CD! amazingly well produced, beautiful body of music that really is AT LEAST equal or better than the best of LOW, Mazzy Star, Sarah McLachlan, Delerium, even Jarboe and Nico! By far the best thing projekt records have ever put out on their label. It sounds professionally well-recorded, mixed and mastered - good job Eric Cooley! guitarist and producer, who along with the exquisite Dara Rosenwasser, vocals, are the creative force of this still obscure but wonderful Seattle band. Submitted by emotionalhardcore777 (midwestern america) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
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