Post-punk melodic darkwave rock with female vocal harmonies and subdued, downbeat instrumentation."Akin to being afloat in a deep, dark sea-- chilling but slightly comforting" -Discorder Mag.

History:

(ALL MUSIC GUIDE): Having quietly built up a well-deserved reputation throughout the '90s as purveyors of darkly beautiful,goth-tinged music, Faith and Disease hit the year 2000 with another fineeffort, the lovely Beneath These Trees. The core duo of Rosenwasserand Cooley still nail it song for song, her dreamy, haunting singing and hisquietly elegant performances on guitar, keyboards, and other instrumentsin perfect harmony. Drummer Semple deserves note for his subtle,strong-without-seeming-it work, while Sather completes the regularlineup with her work on harmony vocals and flute. It all begins on analmost impossibly great note, with the a cappella duet betweenRosenwasser and Sather on the title track shifting into "Rubina Verde."Easily the equal of the best work of Low in terms of hushed drama andatmosphere, it's both a standout track for Rosenwasser's gorgeoussinging and the band's collective sense of performance. Some numbersrecall the songs on Insularia, which explored a more rural, folk/countryside of the group, a vein further tapped here with fine results. "If I DrinkFrom This Cup" features Rosenwasser letting a slight but clear twang intoher singing, just enough, while the slow piano, cello, and guitar parts oftenrecall the hushed mood of Mojave 3's earliest efforts. Even more strikingin context is "Banks of the Ohio," a traditional murder ballad recorded inan intentionally scratchy 78 rpm mix that really does sound like anarchival Smithsonian Folkways number. One of the more intriguingnumbers is "To See Her in This Light," which reverses the usual formulafor the band in that Rosenwasser wrote the music and Cooley the words.It's still another great number from them, though, with a lovely flute partfrom Sather to help distinguish it. Add in such other notables as theelegiac "Eventually Again" and Faith and Disease enter a new decadewith style and grace intact. -- Ned Raggett F

Additional Information:

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