Faun Fables is the remarkably lush dark folk project of Oakland, California residents Dawn McCarthy and Nils James Larson Frykdahl. While McCarthy’s creative output has been represented largely through this project alone, Frykdahl is actually more infamous for his work in the maddeningly theatrical, and lately, relatively silent project Sleepytime Gorilla Museum whom haven’t done much of anything since their 2007 The End Records debut “In Glorious times”. His history goes back even further than S.G.M., however, as he got his start in another project of the same theatrical focus in Idiot Flesh / Acid Rain. He also at one time took part in Charming Hostess, an experimental folk rock project on John Zorn’s label Tzadik. Despite his large level of experience, his most important work, at least from our perspective, has been with Faun Fables — a project which has, whether purposely or not, worked towards defining a wonderful contemporary style of folk music labeled simply as “freak folk” and defined by other artists including the likes of Woods, Animal Collective, and Espers / Greg Weeks. Several others helped with the performance on “Light of a Vaster Dark”, including “The Stikman”, Cornelius Boots, Kirana Peyton, and Meredith Yayanos.
Most lyrics for tracks on “Light of a Vaster Dark” are followed by an inscription, whether it be a dedication, an excerpt from another work of literature, or an outright notice of inspiration. Notable writers from which many of these songs take their inspiration include novelist Willa Cather, poet Roberto Sosa, Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder, and Árni Björnsson — putting many, if not all of the themes on this album behind the idea of the hardships of life on the frontier. This theme is ever-present in sound, consistently creating an atmosphere that is both suffocating in tension but strong in spirit. The title track, specifically, has a lingering guitar tremolo far in the background and a slow pace that all but demands an emotion of desperation, but is quickly followed up by the bombastic, and absurdly catchy, “Housekeeper” that frees the listener from that claustrophobic feeling. “On the Open Plains” quickly continues this feeling through a complete liberation of chains, quickly defining an immigrant woman’s new life in the frontier and the endless possibilities. “Violet” is the beautiful lyrical portrait of a simple woman on the plains with deep violet eyes, an intimate and emotive vocal effort. This is a climactic track that somehow brings the whole thing together for the rest to follow, pulling out these simple themes and representing a classic beauty in things that today we often take for granted and a distinct romanticism that seems to be all but lost on the modern era. The sound is almost always bombastic/percussive and largely based around the complex lyrical arrangements of Dawn McCarthy, but it also carries with it an impressive performance in both its percussive intricacy, but also the variety and difficulty of its stringed arrangements.
The term baroque seems to be passed around a great deal with Faun Fables, and while the visions of historic romanticism that this term conjures up aren’t be any means misplaced in reference to the music with, the modern usage of the term to describe excessive complexity seems unrealistic. Perhaps this may be true of Frykdahl’s other projects, but “Light of a Vaster Dark” showcases a musical complexity that is absolutely necessary towards resounding the exceptional story-telling talents of McCarthhy. A great deal of comparisons can be made of this project towards others. Of course, the intimate relation between artist and listener is similar to the beautifully accessible style of label-mates Espers and, to be frank, “Light of a Vaster Dark”, despite the album title, features a great deal more pop appeal than previous efforts.
Even for the most relentless fan of folk music, I feel that this is an album that you’ll need to be in the mood for. It has a very specific sound that goes hand-in-hand with its intrinsic themes and isn’t necessarily something that anyone could put on at any time, especially for later tracks like “Parade” that are strongly Western and, while they further the themes found on the first half of the album, may feel too pop-oriented. Even though this fact doesn’t necessarily make the tracks stand out on their own, the highest point of the album is the vast level of compositional variety that is found on the release, from gypsy-esque strings to Celtic-style, celebratory tribal moods (“Sweeping Spell”), from the previously mentioned Western sounds to the quasi-spiritual lyrics of “O, Mary”. It’s all very complex and as such there are many things to ponder after multiple spins, but the album is enjoyable from a first-listen experience as well. The whole thing is linear, never really wandering far off from the path set in motion from the first few tracks, which, perhaps, is something relatively unexpected from this duo. In the end, “Light of a Vaster Dark” is a satisfying release — well-crafted, expertly performed, and nearly ingenious in its inspired production value. The only knock on it is its inability to be enjoyable from any mood and its lack of truly branching out beyond the same linear path.
Track List:
01) Intro: Darkness
02) Light of a Vaster Dark
03) Housekeeper
04) On the Open Plains
05) Violet
06) Interlude 1
07) Hollow in the Home
08) Interlude 2
09) Parade
10) Hear the Grinder Creak
11) Interlude 3
12) Sweeping Spell
13) O Mary
14) Bells for Ura
15) Hibernation Tales
16) Outro: Light
Rating: 4/5
Written by: Sage
Label: Drag City Records (US) / DC371CD / Digi-CD
Freak Folk / Dark Folk
