Ahh Seattle, how do I love thee. let me count the ways....Band Of Horses, Rocky Votolato, The Halo Benders, Grand Archives..... The steady stream of great songwriters that comes from that part of the world (or at least choose to make that area home) is enough to make you think they put something in the water. Add to that the close proximity of Vancouver and Portland and I smell indie-folk conspiracy in the air (and before you start, yes I know Band of Horses don’t live there any more.). But could I add David Karsten Daniels to the list?More immediate than last years Sharp Teeth, Fear of Flying jumps stylistically around, from the stripped down, near glacial Cohen-isms of opener ‘Wheelchairs’, with it’s whispered, cracking vocals and haunting flute, to the parping horns of ‘Martha Ann’ and the joyous chaos and piano stabs and Neil Young buzzsaw guitar work of ‘Falling Down’, and then on to the straight up country swagger of 'Every time a baby is born'. It is this diversity that makes Fear of Flying work. Although pretty, the stripped singer songwriter folk showcased on ‘The Caretaker’ would have begun to drag had it been the sole thing on offer here.DKD’s (as he is, possibly, known to his friends, and certainly as he is known to me for means of brevity) celebratory dissection of religion on ‘Heaven Isn’t Real’, a Sunday service sing-a-long, complete with handclaps and chanting of "Heaven is a lie", indicates some issues with religion that reoccur throughout the record. It is perhaps no surprise to find that, like so many other great (and troubled) musicians, Karsten Daniels is the son of a preacher man. Unravelling the sense of belonging provided by religion he sings “lot of people looking for a reason to go on, a lot of people looking for some place to put their hope upon”. To read the lyrics to ‘Heaven Isn’t Real’ you would think that DKD was rebelling against his religious upbringing, however, the album closes with 'Evensong', an atmospheric, loaded rendition of the Lords Prayer’, complete with chirruping crickets, string swells and voice cracking sincerity makes you question that fact.The opposition between the feelings behind these two songs works well if we look at the album as a whole. DKD presents both a fractured, stripped side to his music, as well as a more bombastic, epic, free spirited side, bringing in horn sections, the occasional ecstatic oboe, and back up vocals. It is in these freer moments that the record really shines, and leads you to think that as a live prospect Karsten Daniels would be one to watch. However, too much of the stripped down material doesn’t rise above the level of pleasant singer songwriter-his voice left to fend for itself seems vulnerable, and works much better as part of an ensemble. The seven minutes plus of 'In My Child Mind You Were A Lion', had me thinking of the likes of Songs: Ohia, but sadly was unable to match the efforts of Molina and Co.That said there is some great material here, and I’m sure there will be those among you who will have this record right up there when list making season is upon us once again. 72%Links David Karsten Daniels [official site] [myspace]