Fata Morgana, DM Stith’s new LP produced by Thomas Bartlett (Yoko Ono, Florence + the Machine, St. Vincent), out April 14th from Historical Fiction Records, presents a transformed Stith. After a decade in Brooklyn that saw releases on Asthmatic Kitty and Octave Recordings, Stith moved to Rochester, New York in the summer of 2021 trading the familiar density of New York City for fresh perspective on the shores of Lake Ontario.
The experience and resulting artistic clarity is woven through the album that feels as much like a mirror as it does a memoir. The album takes its name from the rare phenomena, a mirage that bends the horizon and allows the viewer to see farther than they could on their own. This is the Fata Morgana – the trick of light transforming, reflecting, a physical representation of grace.
On Doomed!, the album’s first single, Stith declares, “I shed my skin/all over again / All my memories and All they represent” with a playful, reassured tone. From track to track Stith mines his anxieties (I can’t seem to get/ lost in this city / its numbing infinity) and natural surroundings (I’ll take it as proof / the intent of the universe / to show me itself / Ontario blue) for tight pop tunes he refracts through adventurous arrangements and Bartlett’s impressionistic production.
Reflecting on the new release, Stith shares, “I realized I’d have to address the ways my fear of death has manifested as perfectionism; that, in order to understand the function of that death-clutch, I’d have to allow myself to be seen as I am. To speak with my own voice.”
On the album closer, the title track Fata Morgana, Stith pulls back the curtain on the self-exploration that has always been at the center of his creative process, singing, “I’m turning off ambition like a stove / it’s useful but a hazard when left alone.” Stith showcases a new ease with words throughout the record, but here, in the final minute of the album, he makes room for the ineffable; a pair of ascending pianos unlocking, drifting, and realigning in a sort of musical moiré.
Featuring guest appearances by Shara Nova (My Brightest Diamond), Thomas Bartlett, Thor Harris, and Dustin Ragland, Fata Morgana is available on streaming and Bandcamp April 14th.
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lyrics
Midnight below the tree
The loneliness of hide and seek
And I have counted down and uncupped my eyes
And I have memorized every place my friends could hide
Listen for the heartbeat, the breath,
The whisper and the broken branch
Midnight in theater B
I calm myself and follow my feet
And I kick this empty can down the road
It’s useless to fight against
the earth’s cruel slope
And they’re listening to the echo,
the clang, the clamor of a broken man
Reach for me
Even as I run away
And I will dodge and feint
It’s just how the game is played
Now I know where you hide when
You’re caught in an awkward lie
Blame it on some change in me
And elevate yourself with fortune cookie speak
But the camouflage is incomplete
I see you but you don’t see me
Reach for me
Even as I walk away
And I will dodge and feint
It’s just how the game is played
Did I drop my guard to something terrible
A black hole in a lab summoned like the devil to corrupt me
supported by 17 fans who also own “Dodges & Feints”
So glad to found the complete bundle was still available to buy. I couldn't just buy the standalone LP, had to get all the items together to increase my own delight! ♡ One of my favourite records of Sufjan along with Carrie & Lowell and The Greatest Gift. Vinilocioso