Faith and Disease, "Beneath The Trees."

Dara Rosenwasser and Eric Cooley create music that's cut from the
same cloth; it's a slow, sad, lonely sound with roots both in
traditional folk and gloomy mid-80s Goth. Their aesthetic combines
the monochrome folk of the Cowboy Junkies with the spacious
atmospherics of Clan of Xymox (both of whom they've covered in the
past). Each album is not so much a step forward as much as it is a
closer inspection of that dark and delicate cloth. They skirt the
edges of monotony; the differences in mood are minute and subtle. A
typical F&D song is built around Rosenwasser's beautiful voice;
imagine an operatic Natalie Merchant. Cooley's tentative guitar is
joined by deliberate percussion and hushed violin and flute. Most of
the songs follow in this vein, but there are highlights.
Rosenwasser's voice is especially glorious on "Rubina Verde"; the
opening title track is appropriately hymnal. And the traditional
murder ballad "Banks of the Ohio" adds brittle mandolin and scratchy
old-time record effects. "Beneath The Trees" also marks the first
time they've printed lyrics; the words (mostly Rosenwasser's) are
elegant, and personal, avoiding the pomposity of most goth bands.
Faith and Disease have created another rainy-day classic.
--Craig

http://www.operation-glam.com/faith/