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Faith & Disease — Insularia
(Ivy Records IR33-12, 1998, CD)

by Dane Carlson, Published 1999-01-01

Insularia Cover art

The new Faith & Disease album is a continuation of the sound set forth on the Livesongs: Third Body album. That is slow, dreamy music, more similar in style to Mazzy Star than Dead Can Dance. If ambient music is meant to strip away the unnecessary, inducing a state of calm, the music of Seattle duo Faith & Disease might achieve that end. Vocalist Dara Rosenwasser croons sweetly over the sparse backdrop of sound. The music is slow, understated and quietly intense as if a single sound could shatter it. Think of the feeling you get when sitting in the sun for a while, the way the outside world gets slow...and blurred...and fuzzy, or the sensation of being underwater. The cast has changed a little here, players seem to come and go, and this recording has numerous guest musicians. The heart of Faith & Disease remains Dara Rosenwasser (vocals) and Eric Cooley (bass, guitar, and percussion). The are ably assisted by Steven Knouse (guitars) and Joshua Furman (drums and percussion). Faith & Disease use a variety of percussion, augmented by lap steel, flutes, keyboards, violin and pedal steel at various times. It seems each successive release by this band has refined and defined their sound. Insularia has taken them out of the gothic realm and placed them into a more "hip" alternative sound, and for followers of the band that transition seems natural. Faith & Disease continue to make good music that doesn't fall into any preconceived category easily, and that's always good.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 16, 1998 releases

Related artist(s): Faith & Disease

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