Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Free and legal MP3 from Spider (quiet, simmering music from Fingertips returnee)

"Petal Song" - Spider
     This may not sound at first like a song that's going to kick out with a minute-long Pink Floydian guitar solo, but how often, actually, are things exactly what they seem? (cf. "Things are not as they seem. Nor are they otherwise," as per the Buddha.)
     "Petal Song" may well begin quietly but there's something simmering from the outset--most notably Jane Herships (aka Spider) herself. Some vocalists with quavering voices sing like it's all they can do to make an audible sound, the quavering in this case being a sign of near exhaustion. The quaver in Herships' voice, by contrast, has the feeling of someone holding back something mighty. She shakes from the effort of keeping contained. In that context, the electric outburst at the end is maybe even inevitable. Before you get there, however, be sure to sink into the subtly gorgeous melodies Herships has crafted along the way--in both the matter-of-fact verse and the swaying chorus--and the engaging, shifting ways she sings them.
     "The Petal Song" is from Things We Liked To Hold, Spider's new, self-released CD. MP3 via Last.fm, where you can listen to the whole thing, and also download four other free and legal MP3s. Spider by the way was previously featured on Fingertips in 2006, and was also one of the stars of the late, lamented Fingertips: Unwebbed CD.

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