Spider is the pseudonym of Brooklyn-based songstress Jane Herships. The Way to Bitter Lake, her debut CD, is made up of soft, sparse melodies that meander slowly across the length of eight tracks. While lovely and lilting, the disc is barely a half-hour long... and that was plenty for me.
This disc would be best put to use as a lullaby. It is smooth and soothing, and made me want to fall asleep. I almost drifted off before I could finish this review. All the songs kind of bleed from one to the other. I didn't know where one song ended and the next began. For a lot of the album, it is just Spider and her guitar - an instrument she has been playing since the age of 14.
The album starts off timidly with "The Clearing." Just Spider, tentatively plucking at her guitar strings, as if each pluck could trip a bomb. She seems to grow more confident with each track. About halfway through, the disc picks up tempo oh-so-slightly with "The Bitter One." The strumming is a little stronger, more assertive. “Midnight on the Nile” is a bit folksy, but in a good way - cute and sweet, not hippie music. Spider plugs in for the final song (uncreatively called “End Song”) but keeps the strumming slow even as she distorts her voice with feedback.
Personally, I don’t see this ever making its way into my regular rotation - it will put me to sleep in the middle of the freeway. It would probably be better enjoyed by the mopey vampire or brooding teenager in your life.
Article comments