Sara Curtin
Michigan Lilium
Reviewed by: Jane Roser
Seductive, smoky, graceful. DC-based singer/songwriter Sara Curtin’s second solo album, Michigan Lilium, is reminiscent of artists such as Portishead and Heather Nova for her luminous vocals and themes of dreams and melancholia.
Produced and recorded by Curtin (vocals, guitar, percussion and synth) with Ian Chang (bass) and Spencer Zahn (drums); the album was recorded in Curtin’s DC apartment and at Brooklyn’s Galuminum Foil Production (by Jeff Berner) and is the long awaited follow-up to Curtin’s 2010 debut solo album, Fly Her And Keep Her.
As one half of award-winning folk duo The Sweater Set (with Maureen Andary), Curtin trades in her ukelele and goes electric on several tracks, including the stand-out rocker chick tune “Careless”. Warning potential suitors that they’ll be treated like crap, it’s a rebellious and super fun song: “Sharpened gaze, sharpened knives, built for battle in disguise, I learned to fight unfairly.”
Opening track “Sweet Dreams” begins with the pings of a xylophone, then Curtin’s ethereal vocals layer in, almost in a quiet echo: “Will I show you mercy? Will I show you peace? Well, my body’s aching for a sweet release.” It’s a lovely dream-pop lullaby which segues seamlessly into the next song “VDAY”.
“Garden of Ghosts” is a homage to the Michigan Lilies which grow in Detroit’s ghost gardens (gardens that have unexpectedly blossomed in the midst of decaying buildings). It’s a song about death, rebirth and resilience and is a haunting reminder that neglect may eventually spur growth in the most surprising of places.
Michigan Lilium is a beautiful, soulful album full of charm and grace. Curtin is a gifted songwriter who understands that you don’t write because you want to say something, but because you have something to say and she sure as heck says it exquisitely.
Rating: Bad-Ass
