Dan Matz - Carry Me Over
(Amish)
This is being touted as an album born out of a snowstorm. Apparently, Dan Matz (Windsor For the Derby, Birdwatcher, and regular collaborator with Michael Gira) and Anna Neighbor were holed up during a blizzard last year, lost electricity for a few days and created the songs on Carry Me Over for lack of anything else to occupy their time.
There is so much to recommend this, yet somehow, the vocals hold it back, especially on "Matthew" and "Juniper". The music here is beautiful and inspired, but the singing does nothing to enhance this beauty. The vocals drag over everything, and you need a good shovel to dig the music out from under.
Obviously, if I find the vocals rather dull, I'm not going to like the a cappella round, "Swing Her Around." I thought everything gelled on "Downpour," though, and I liked the sound to "Possessions in a Nest." The dirge-like quality of the singing on "Bearcat Blues" works well with the repetitive manipulation going on with the guitar.
Listening to this, you feel like it's almost there. It takes concentration to hear what is so unappealing. Dan Matz may have heard the voice in the blizzard, but it seems he also heard the snow blower.
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