Drag City 
Faun Fables : Family Album (US,2004)****°
Compared to the two earlier albums (listed above this one) I detected with this release a more directed, but still very open, conceptual or thematical inspiration behind the creative drive.
The result can be appreciated somewhat like literature, as for others it might also be experienced as expressive as any art-movie. Within this expressive form, there are some mystic aspects ("Lucy Belle") with some placement of the "(song-)writer" amongst these visions. “Preview” describes Dawn McCartney's own place, focusing on the world as if it is visualized between dawn and twilight. This is expressed with the medieval like dulcimer combined with acoustic guitar. "Eyes Of A Bird" shows that she shares her destiny there. Even a paranormal vision is used, under the form of a poem that derived from a ghost (on “Poem 2”).
Various family related memories and evolutions are explained (like on “A mother and a piano”). “Joshua” is a song written for a specific child who departed too soon. Also “Still Here”, later on, is a song about departure. “Higher”, -in fact a traditional hymn-, starting with an old operatic excerpt, with church-like Hammond organ, has within its context angelic-like thoughts that can be interpreted in many ways and through different eyes and positions. Such songs create something surreal, in a twilight sphere way.
Musically the songs have interesting arrangements, which are slightly comparable somewhat to how Art Bears were interested in arranging their music in a more avant-garde territory. Compared to Art Bears, Faun Fables have a much more intuitive evolution, and a more open emotional warmth.
The fundament of their music is acoustic. Another strong thing is that all aspects like the drive, coming from musicality, song-writing, from singing variation etc. are all equally strong in their parts, which makes the music very successful.
Then we have “Nop of Time” which is for me something like a Robert Wyatt-like odd song made and sung by a 7 year old child. “Carousel with Madonnas” is the only track with a more “progressive” drive and arrangement. It seems to be a Polish song written in 1963.
Beside Dawn's varied voice, I must say that Nils Frykdalls voice, like on “Rising Din”, can also be very expressive, but in a more inner-world sphere-way (Peter Hamill expressed himself in such a sphere too).
“Fear March” then, is more theatrical, with multiple voice arrangements. If that wasn't enough, the last songs add a few extra musical ideas.
“Eternal”, which is a more recent Brigitte Fontaine song, -from a powerful expressive album !- arranged with many odd-but-funky semi-acoustic rhythms. (It is a song about a person, a woman, who wants to be accepted for the true aspects of her personality).
“Mouse Song” is a traditional Swiss song (Dawn has drawn inspiration from Swiss songs before). It is arranged in a very original pleasant new folk-song way.
Last song, “Old and Light” concludes with full optimism, while looking back at all social and familial relationships. A masterpiece !
All three Faun Fables albums are highly recommended.
