Heavy Ghost

Chronique

Most everything about DM Stith's remarkable debut suggests that it's something of an anomaly. Heavy Ghost adheres to few preconceived notions belonging to any one movement or style, but sounds like it could have been influenced by any number of factors just barely out of the range of recognition. The sheer magnetism of this music lies in its subtly skewed intricacies: acoustic guitars strummed in atypical ways, chords carried through slight transmutations in almost hidden rhythmic patterns, and ghostly background voices that come and go unpredictably. Through it all is Stith's delicate, captivating voice, which is somewhere between a more tuneful Devendra Banhart and a less straightforward Sufjan Stevens. Though he has a well-controlled and deliberate vocal cadence, there's also a whimsical nature to the way his beautifully melodic phrases effortlessly weave in and out of the stormy music underneath. It feels almost as if he's singing to the listener as part of a dream, or better yet, to one who is half-asleep and only partially aware of his or her surroundings: these pieces are mysterious and somehow just out of reach, and all the more affective for it. Stith performs a minor miracle in the way he balances the many forces at work here, since the music nearly always feels like it has room to breathe, even when it approaches cacophonous levels. A stately brass melody seamlessly emerges halfway through "Thanksgiving Moon," maintaining a lofty distance from the layer of marimba and other instruments, and providing the perfect counterpoint to his wavering vocals. "Fire of Birds," like many songs here, is outfitted with fleeting orchestral flourishes, pitter-pattering percussion, and a windswept buildup, where he leads a chorus of voices repeatedly singing "We dance like we're all on fire." There's a certain amount of jubilation to the way the line is delivered, but the more he says it, the more disturbing it becomes -- one of many such pieces of intriguing imagery on Heavy Ghost. Stith creates a consistently pensive, occasionally intense, mood on the album, but it's also loose and highly textured, and ultimately quite moving.
© Ben Peterson /TiVo