Sweeping Spell of Faun Fable's Light of a Vaster Dark

Fable has always been an appropriate evocation to this music - with the solemn beauty of clarinets, mystical ghostly coo of shakuhachi flutes, troubadour-ian acoustic strums and a poignant yet haunting vocals.

The deep booming envelopment of Dawn McCarthy's psychedelic gypsy folk vocals can easily compete with the galloping drums and booming bass of this album's more rousing tunes, and can transition to a thinner airy breeze for the more skeletal acoustic pieces.

Faun Fables latest (on Drag City) is a refreshing balance: mysitcal folk freak outs that seem to accomodate spirit journeys into enlightening yet hallucinogenic nether-realms of deserts, mountains and jungles <-> with a tribal, drum pummeling, chant-facillitating vibe that crackles away the indie-folk frame into the night sky via a dark framed pyre <-> into an austere and beautiful orchestral, rainy-day balladry that flexes McCarthy's commendable sense for storytelling - ("O Mary").

Personal Favs: the drum-circle conjuring "Sweeping Spell" with it's intoxicating blend of Flamenco, sanctionious chants and a playful, dirt spackled, bluesy troubadour storytelling style. Or the Morricone styled, drifter conjuring acoustic cold shoulders, jangly tambourines and ghost locomotive harmonica of "Violet."
McCarthy is joined here by: Nils Frykdahl - with: Meredith Yayanos, Kirana Peyton, Cornelius Boots and Mark Stikman

More info - Light of a Vaster Dark (Drag City)