Death of the Sun

Former singer/songwriter of the Metallic Falcons (with CocoRosie's Sierra Cassady), Matteah Baim branched out on her own not long ago and has come forth with her debut solo album, which includes collaborations with some of today’s biggest names in hipster folk, including Devendra Banhart and 90 Day Men’s Rob Lowe. While the musical composition stands out to me more than Baim’s crackling voice, her cover of the African-American spiritual, "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore (Michael Row)," is a delightful surprise halfway through the disc. The title track is a short but powerful ascent over a sonic incline, and “Who Knows” and “Far Away Songs” round out the disc’s haunting, minimalist flavor.

To say that this collection resonates with me would be a bit of a lie, but to say this isn’t a solid album with important collaborations and a couple of excellent stand-out songs would also be unfair. Clocking in at only thirty minutes, the album is composed of nine tracks that highlight to Baim’s style. Despite how much this record grew on me over the course of the weeks it spent in my stereo, I suspect this is one of those genre albums you either appreciate or won’t adopt based on this effort alone.

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