DM STITH: New Faces 09

The term baroque pop, or chamber pop, as it is more commonly known nowadays, invokes the thought of legends like the Beach Boys and Phil Spector. Those artists helped invent the tag by infusing classical characteristics into popular music. These days the sub-genre is thriving within the independent scene.

The term baroque pop, or chamber pop, as it is more commonly known nowadays, invokes the thought of legends like the Beach Boys and Phil Spector. Those artists helped invent the tag by infusing classical characteristics into popular music. These days the sub-genre is thriving within the independent scene. Sufjan Stevens, Antony and the Johnsons, Joanna Newsom, Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, not to mention recent favorites Fleet Foxes, are a handful of the critically acclaimed artists that have found their niche in within its grandeur. Therefore, it isn’t completely unexpected that an interesting upstart like DM Stith has also discovered his voice in chamber pop. This and Stith’s obvious capacity is even easier to understand when one learns that he comes from a household steeped in classical music.

Stith first abandoned his family’s influence, performing in a noise band, writing, and painting. But he eventually returned to music after meeting Shara Worden from My Brightest Diamond. Following collaborations with Worden on her album Bring Me the Workhorse, the newcomer was persuaded to submit demos to Asthmatic Kitty. The label quickly asked the whiz kid to release a record of his own. Featuring contributions from Stevens and Worden, his full-length debut, Heavy Ghost, is a majestic and evocative full-length debut certain to elevate Stith not only within his heralded subgenre but the greater musical hierarchy.