Daughter of Swords – Dawnbreaker
Bella Union – 28 June 2019
Change is a constant. Expectations rarely match up with reality. After almost 10 years away from making music with Mountain Man, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig began to record again, working up a set of songs about a break-up that had yet to happen, Dawnbreaker. Yet as that was going on, Mountain Man regrouped in North Carolina to record Magic Ship and Dawnbreaker was put on hold.
When she came back to it, Sauser-Monnig became open to new possibilities. Originally envisioned as record with just her voice and guitar, she began to realize that playing with other people might open up the sound. Working with Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn they explored arrangements incorporating more instrumentation while still retaining the acousticity at the heart of her recordings. In the process, they came up with an album that plays to her gentle voice and subtle acoustic guitar.
Not surprisingly the name Sauser-Monnig chose for this project, Daughter of Swords, relates to the tarot card. As she reflects, “… it’s sort of a card about not letting things that have inhibited you in the past stand in your way as you move forward into your future.” Certainly on this disc as things come to an end new pathways open.
New possibilities are at the heart of Dawnbreaker. Despite her vision of an impending break-up, the record is more about exploring the new opportunities. Yet there is still sadness in Fellows, where over a simple acoustic guitar Sauser-Monnig sings, “He gave to me his love and I couldn’t give mine.” While breaking up may not be easy, it can still be gentle.
Showcasing the fuller band sound, Gem underscores the heartbreak and loss at the end, “I miss you over me, rain falling, soft and warm in bed. You were a gem.” Yet the music bubbles so that while there may be a wellspring of sadness, there is still hope. That kind of duality plays out often on Dawnbreaker.
Fellow Mountain Man members Molly Sarle and Amelia Meath lend their voices to the tracks Grasses and Long Leaf Pine. What Sanborn adds to the mix cannot be underestimated. Throughout they play to the strengths of Sauser-Monnig’s guitar parts and vocals, adding colours without ever overwhelming the singer and the song.
Expectations are deceiving. What leads you down one path sometimes takes you in a direction you never expected to go. Along the way, the experiences help shape what you will become. The journey taken to create Daughter of Swords’ Dawnbreaker dazzles in its simplicity. And it surprises in the ability to put a positive spin onto some of life’s heartbreaking moments.
Dawnbreaker is out now on Bella Union.
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Daughter of Swords can also be heard on Folk Radio Select on Mixcloud here