It seems to me, at least, that 2007 is turning into a bit of a year for artists and bands whose main influence is folk or roots music. We’ve had, to name a few, Death Vessel, Lewis & Clarke, Indigo Moss and Laura Veirs all release records this year, some to greater acclaim than others, but all covered in a folk infused blanket. Bella Union’s recent signing, Stephanie Dosen, is no exception. Her debut record, A Lily for the Spectre, is more of this quietly pleasant music that is destined to soundtrack dinner parties from here on in.

I do the album a disservice though by saying that though. All the songs are wonderfully and perfectly executed, Dosen’s voice is pitch perfect and clear through out. The strings, acoustic guitars and piano barely rise above a whisper, a light and delicate background to her vocals. The songs all deal in the usual affairs of the heart, breaking rarely from the usual tails of love and it’s perils with comments on, with the Lakes of Canada, something grand and environmental, bringing to mind impressive pieces of Mother Nature and how they dwarf us. The problem with this record is that, for all its obvious beauty, it gets a bit repetitive over the whole record. It also doesn’t help that it begins with the best songs. Recent single This Joy reflects its subject matter, the guitars themselves seem to sound happy and excited. Only Getting Better also keeps this up-beat approach, it has a bit of momentum about it and Dosen’s voice ducks and weaves through the music, shifting the mix a bit. The simple approach to the rest of the songs just gets a bit boring, they’re practically lullabies with their gentleness.

All this album needs is something a bit different, like Laura Veirs who manages to invoke similar feelings but does so with a more twisted approach to the arrangements, she mixes the instruments and the sounds up to create something musically different. Unfortunately, for all the clarity here, you just wish for a bit of darkness and noise to break things up and wake you from your slumber.
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Links
Stephanie Dosen [official site] [myspace]