New Artist: Caroline Weeks

Caroline Weeks isn't really new to the scene, but it's unlikely that you've heard much about her as a multi-instrumentalist for Bat for Lashes. She is an accomplished guitarist and flautist (among other things) and has performed with and been a part of numerous groups I've never had the pleasure of hearing, including an all-girl chamber quartet and a Bulgarian folk choir, of all things. Weeks is just now making her way into the spotlight with her solo debut, Songs for Edna, a collection of nine sparse tunes using the words of late American poet, Edna St. Vincent-Millay for all of the lyrics.

Weeks' gorgeous, quavering voice, complemented by her finger-picked Spanish guitar, frames Vincent-Millay's poetry in a beautifully haunting way. Though the album is quite simple musically, Weeks has the ability to make the music fascinating throughout. "Elegy" has a stately, yet dark, feel to it, "Wild Swans" is ethereal and soaring, and "I Shall Go Back" has a more urgent edge. While her approach to crafting a debut album is certainly strange, Weeks proves more than capable of handling such an unusual project and creates some amazing moments on Songs for Edna.

Check her out on Myspace or see my previous post to download a track from the album.