Faun Fables is an experimental and psychedelic folk band from Oakland, California, which was formed in 1997 by Dawn McCarthy after leaving New York City. I came across this album in this past week while listening to some of the psychedelic-tinged folk music that I’ve written about like Arborea and Sharron Kraus. This album, Early Song (1999/2004), was unofficially first released in 1999 by Dawn McCarthy, and was later reissued in 2004 by the Drag City record label. On Faun Fables’ Wikipedia page, there’s a comparison of Faun Fables’/McCarthy’s work to Devendra Banhart, which is getting me even more excited than I already was to give this album a listen. With that said, I’m going to jump on into the music.
“Muse” begins with McCarthy counting into the track, which soon gives way to an earthy acoustic guitar chord progression that is accompanied by some super eerie and harmonious vocals that reach a really high register. Oh wow, I can totally understand the comparison to Devendra Banhart already. I really dig the twangy electric guitar that eventually joins the soundscape. The pacing is super sweet so far, which seems to have a natural ebb and flow as the instrumentation and vocals intensify and mellow out. The gasps and sighs in the vocals really match the pacing quite nicely. Great track, and I’m excited to hear more.
“The Crumb” begins with some really soft, folksy acoustic guitar, which is soon joined by a flute of some sort, creating a nearly eerie, yet sweet soundscape that almost sounds like a lullaby for a dead tree in a cemetery. Oh wow, the vocals have a ton of feeling in them makes the narrative even more impactful. I’m sort of reminded of The Dear Hunter, a progressive rock band that has a penchant for creating a narrative in their music that can get a bit eerie at times. Super sweet track.
“Old Village Churchyard” continues the sort of eeriness that’s been present with the vocals that seem to howl like wind that echoes off of buildings and trees on a cold night during a full moon. I really dig the trading of the bass note and the high notes on the guitar alongside the sort of rattling percussion in the background, which create a sense of forward movement as though you’re traveling on a wagon through an old village road made of cobblestone. Great track.
Oh wow, “Apple Trees” has a really interesting, tentative feel in the acoustic guitar work at the beginning of the track that sets a tone befitting of a haunted waltz in an old eastern European village. The more that I think about it, the more I think that this album thus far sounds like it was a lost compilation of music written by a villager that lived very near Dracula’s castle in an old eastern European folktale, and was somehow unearthed by Dawn McCarthy. Wow, the vocals meander about in a manner that sort of reminds me of the haunting sound of Tim Buckley’s vocals from his album, Lorca (1970). Wow, great song.
“Only a Miner” begins with some really interesting vocals that have a sort of delta blues-tinge, which gradually walks over to a folksier sound as the waltz-y folk guitar continues on. I’m really digging this track so far. Wow, great tune.
“Sometimes I Pray” starts out with some tentative acoustic guitar, with a sort of continual offset plucking of two different strings, which combines with the vocals to renew that eerie presence from earlier in the album. Holy smokes, I’m not sure who else plays on the album, but I think this is still McCarthy singing, and her vocals nearly reach into a tenor territory, reminding me a lot of Judy Henske in the process. Oh wow, the flute comes back in and adds to that eerie, nearly haunting presence. The sound of the track reminds me of some sort of haunted version of “Blue Jay Way” by The Beatles. Holy smokes, McCarthy hits some incredibly high notes in this track, reaching up into a soprano vocal range. Wow, great track.
“Honey Baby Blues” begins with a really interesting rambling, bluesy folk guitar in the background that almost sounds like it’s being played next to empty bottles of whiskey. Oh wow, the vocals really hit the haunting flavors from throughout the album, and blends them really nicely with a bluesy sound that complements the guitar work really well. Great track.
“Lullaby for Consciousness” has a really simple folksy acoustic guitar part that gets the tune moving forward, while McCarthy’s vocals hit a mixture of super sweet and haunting notes as the song seems to move between an innocent and spooky folk style. I really dig the electric guitar that comes into the track and accentuates the haunting sounds; the electric guitar sounds like a mixture of the dark 1960s Los Angeles-based psychedelic rock groups like The Doors, St. John Green, The Other Half, and others, mixed with the spacey and experimental psychedelic sounds of groups like Gong or Hawkwind. Wow, another great track.
“O Death” starts out with a combination of an eerie, repetitive acoustic guitar line, some chatter and sounds from a bar (where I think this was recorded live), and some haunting vocals from McCarthy, which all come together an eerie and incredibly interesting performance of the classic American folk tune. Wow, I’m really digging McCarthy’s version of this track. Holy smokes, the vocals at the end of the track have an incredible amount of feeling. Great track.
“Ode to Rejection” gets started with some really interesting, ominous drones from an accordion or something similar. Oh wow, the folksy acoustic guitar comes in and adds a steady, repetitive line that creates a lot of forward movement in the song. Holy smokes, McCarthy’s vocals turn into a really interesting, haunting yodel at one point that seems to have some bluesy intonation reminiscent of Cab Calloway’s song, “Zaz Zuh Zaz”. I really dig the interesting psychedelic accentuations from the electric guitar in the song. Great track.
“Bliss” has a much brighter and lighter sound at the beginning of the track, which is created by the light, waltz-y acoustic folk guitar lines, and the carefree sounding vocals from McCarthy that blends different styles of yodeling ranging from near the southern US border to up in the Swiss Alps. Great track, and a great way to finish the album.
Holy smokes, this album is great. I’m already excited to check out more of the Faun Fables discography. The music felt haunted throughout much of the album in a sense that transcended cultures and borders, as the folksy nature of the songs moved between folkloric Transylvania to the delta blues with ease. McCarthy’s voice was awesome as well, as she seemed to span at least 4 different vocal registries throughout the album. If you’re a fan of darker folk music, and also enjoy experimental and/or psychedelic folk to some degree, then you might want to consider checking out this album. If you do decide to give this album a listen, then I sincerely do hope that you enjoy the listening experience at least as much as I did.
-A