It's been a decade since singer-songwriter-guitarist Susan Weber released her last album. And anyone who heard her debut album could be forgiven for thinking that the Susan Weber of this new disc, Monet's Orbit (also the name of her trio), is a different artist entirely. The earthy, even occasionally guttural vocals, the foreboding melodies and the terse, impressionistic lyrics that paint a picture of the confusion and mystery that make human relationships difficult yet compelling suggest a Cleveland version of PJ Harvey, not the acoustic folkie-style performer Weber used to be.
The droning urgency of tracks like "Spoke" and the free-associative catalogue of specific images over driving rock 'n' roll of "She Is Here," as well as the poetic imagery and conversational phrasing throughout, evoke dynamic rock poet Patti Smith. It's an influence Weber acknowledges, one that she says changed her approach to making music.
"Definitely hearing Patti Smith, that had an impact," says Weber. "I came to her late because I wasn't really paying attention. But especially hearing her when I was tuning into poetry more and seeing how she combined poetry with very strong excellent music behind her."
Back in the '90s, Weber played around as an acoustic folkie and wrote more folk-oriented songs, then got away from the music scene for a while to raise her family.
"I got into songwriting when my kids were little," she says. "I decided I couldn't both do recording and bringing up my family and do them both well. They're now grown which is one reason I have time to devote to music. Everything is shifting from acoustic to eclectic, folk to rock, solo to band, from storytelling to a more poetic way of writing." Another key turning point was buying an electric guitar, which was suggested to her by Pere Ubu guitarist Michele Temple, from whom she was taking lessons. "She said she knew someone who was selling a Telecaster and would I be interested. I didn't know if I'd be interested but I'm glad I went ahead and did it. It really changed my songwriting to where it is now. This feels more native, more true."
Weber had already been doing some collaborating with local folksinger Walt Campbell, who now plays bass in her band. The two of them put an ad on local e-mail newsletter NeoPAL, found percussionist Trees Mausser and formed Monet's Orbit in 2004.
"[Walt's] got this immense palette; he listens to all different kinds of music," says Weber. "[Trees] went to Berklee and he's into musical theater and jazz. We have really good chemistry and love creating these arrangements together."
The result is the new 11-track CD recorded at Jay Bentoff's Dark Tree Studios. Bentoff is one of a number of guest musicians who helps to expand the band's sonic range on the disc, a roster that also includes folkie John McGrail, multi-instrumentalist Chris Solt and Spencer Kohan, who did the album's art work, playing sax on one track.
She says that the arrangements on the disc are "organic to the song. It's not just thrown on there. You never know where your muses will take you. I think it's a little dance between the conscious and the subconscious. If you trample the subconscious down too much, you miss a lot. The songwriting I was doing before was based a little more on rules and tips people had given me. Working this way has been very freeing for me."
Cleveland Free Times 9.26.07
Photo: Andrew Kohan
