The Band
Hem is a throwback to the roots of back porch music and a step into the future of acoustic songcraft all at the same time.
The band began as a collection of songs and ideas, which belonged to songwriter Dan Messé (piano) and producer/engineer Gary Maurer (guitar, mandolin). After recruiting other talented musicians for the project the only missing piece was the most important one. A singer. An ad was placed in a famous New York rag and then began the tedious task of weeding out the untalented and the insane. However, a woman named Sally Ellyson who claimed that she wasn’t really a singer caught the band’s ear. Her demo consisted of a cappella lullabies, one of which (Lord, Blow the Moon Out Please) is included as the opening track on Rabbit Songs. The goal was to record a good album, but as the recording process moved forward they realized how special it was and subsequently began to sell off personal possessions so that they could produce the album without skimping, including an 18 piece orchestra. Rabbit Songs uses mostly acoustic instruments and no software wizardry. It’s just good playing, songwriting, singing, arranging and engineering technique.
The Album
Rabbit Songs is in my opinion, a masterpiece on the scale of some of the best albums ever recorded. The work is beautiful and dripping with imagery and creative energy. The arrangements include the wonderful interplay of acoustic piano and guitar, mandolin, steel pedal, upright bass, drums, violin, bells, woodwinds, ethereal vocals and even a full orchestra.
The songs are simple and speak for themselves; it is the arranging that gives the songs depth and complexity. When the elaborate orchestration kicks in its not obvious. Like a good movie soundtrack, the orchestration supports the emotion that the work conveys without bringing attention to itself.
The result is an exquisite masterwork. Rabbit Songs is a must have album on the same level as The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd or the more recent Come Away With Me by Norah Jones.
The best part is that is was not created by the standard corporate music machine, but by a group of talented and hard working artists. Living proof that you do not need corporate support to produce a masterpiece.
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