Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Looking Through David Karsten Daniels' Rear Window

This weekend I will be in North Carolina, first for a Christianity and Literature conference, then for a visit and interview with the guys from the Buhanan Collective in Chapel Hill.
David Karsten Daniels, one of the founding members of the collective and now a solo artist on Fat Cat records, has a fantastic new album called Fear of Flying coming out in late April. I have listened to the album over and over and love its slow, engrossing warmth--it takes patience, time, concentration to appreciate. I like music that takes time--and DKD's music, both minimal and lush--leaves much space for contemplation.
Here is the first single off of the album--a catchy, short number called "Martha Ann"mp3.
And here is a real treat--DKD and his sister singing a lovely acapella version of "Martha Ann" in the car:

This song is obviously one of the album's more upbeat offerings. The rest of the album, which deals primarily with familial relationships and ways of coping with death, is much more sparse. The last song, "Evensong" is very moving, soft, final--a delicate rendering of The Lord's Prayer accompanied by the music of locusts.
The albums's first song, "Wheelchairs" is what gave this post its name (which you will understand after watching the following video). If you have made it thus far, click below, watch the flickering images, listen to the words--and just let it all simmer: