Rio En Medio, Bride of Dynamite

reviewed by dave heaton

Consider me guilty of often looking at cover art and titles for insight into an album. But the panoramic photos – one on either side of the CD booklet – and title together seem especially appropriate for the debut LP by Rio en Medio, aka Danielle Stech-Homsy and some friends. On the one side, she's kneeling by a pond as if in prayer or sacrifice. But what's that in the corner watching her? The shadowy figure of a large black dog. In the other photo she's in white against a blue mountain-sky-scape, looking at us dispassionately. There's something about both these photos which reminds me of the album title, which sounds like a '30s horror film, an Old West ghost story or a Southern folk narrative…which reminds me of how eerie the music itself is.

There's something of old folk-song traditions here, and the minimally played baritone ukulele sounds like it's conjuring ghosts from the time. And certainly the sonic special effects don't hurt. Then there's her voice: pretty and possessed…whether she using it to tell ghostly bedtime stories or free-associate on fashion trends. A few songs in, even the upcoming song titles start to send chills down my spine: "Kill the Messenger", "Joe Was on the Plane."

{www.gnomonsong.com}