SPIDER - The Way To Bitter Lake (SBL006, Release date: 09/18/07)

The Clearing
Don't Be Afraid, I've Just Come To Say Goodbye, "The Ballad Of Clementine Jones"
I Don't Know If She Had Any Teeth Because She Never Smiled
The Bitter One
Cold Eyes
Maggie's Song For Alice
Midnight On The Nile
End Song

Jane Herships vocals, guitar
with...
Matt Boynton drums, mellotron, slide guitar
Louis Schwadron vocals
Brooke Lovell vocals
NNina Mehta flute
Tom Psipsikas cowbell
Brian Thorne wurlitzer
Jarius Steed violin
Stephen Kurtz drums
Trevor Shimizu bass
Busy Gangnes grand piano

Spider's The Way To Bitter Lake is the debut recording from Brooklyn-based songstress Jane Herships. Jane's rare voice has the uncanny ability to drape any audience in a warm blanket to tell hushed stories of fantasy and wonder. You can't help but feel as if she's whispering dreams directly into your ear, sharing secrets of youthful wisdom and grace from an old soul. The Way To Bitter Lake spins a delicate web of drifting melodies through strummed guitar and subtle instrumentation that enwraps the unsuspecting listener and refuses to let go. Throughout the album's eight songs, Herships patiently wanders alone with her guitar, occasionally calling for contributions such as gentle vocal harmonies on the opener, The Clearing, or lush strings and mellotron on The Bitter One. However, she might not be quite as soft and sweet as we're led to believe - epic, feedback-ridden electric guitar work concludes the otherwise lullaby-like Maggie's Song For Alice, the unmistakable climax of the record. As a whole, The Way To Bitter Lake has a discernable narrative flow, each song a new chapter before the double denouement of Midnight on the Nile and Endsong.
The Way To Bitter Lake contains a rare timelessness that evokes the feeling of old-time folk while remaining unmistakably current and fresh. A truly stunning debut from a beautiful new voice in homespun folk-rock.