Denison Witmer

Item: Philadelphia Songs
Author: BW Diederich

Philadelphia Songs

(2002)

Reviewed by BW Diederich

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Label Burnt Toast VinylDecapolisOctober 2002

folk singer-songwriter

This is Denison's third full length out on Burnt Toast Vinyl Records in Philadelphia. Witmer's music has always been about memories and recollections, whether fond or not so fond. His newest album is an ode to Philadelphia, and a fine ode it is. He's been known in the past as simply a folk singer with his trusty acoustic guitar and image laden lyrics. He's always been able to paint beautiful pictures with words and the stories have always been tellingly personal.

His last full length added a backing band, but it just seemed forced on some tracks. With this new album he's working with The Six Parts Seven to great effect. They add a rich ambiance that accentuates Denison's songs as opposed to just overriding the simple and beautiful songs he writes. The Six Parts Seven aren't so much a backing band, as they are collaborators. Lyrically he sticks to what he does best; telling stories of love and loss and painting pictures of relationships and places.

This record, as could be guessed from the title, is set mainly in Philadelphia. Denison starts with "Sets of Keys", a story of growing up in Pennsylvania and moving to Philadelphia for the first time. Denison starts on his acoustic guitar and about two minutes in there's an added voice, some light percussion, and an overall ambience that just fits. Light feedback trails throughout the last minute or so, leading into the second song. "I Won't Let You Down" is a stark song at first. As the song nears completion, Witmer's voice and guitar are again joined by an electric guitar echoing the melody and some light percussion.

It's a far cry from the last album. One of the best songs on the album is "24 turned 25." Six Parts Seven really spread their wings and turn this song into something amazing, Wilco-esque even. Slide guitar and full on percussion combine to turn this into as much of a "rocker" as I think Denison will ever do. It's nice to hear Witmer's songs backed by inventive and full sounding accompaniment. The other major components are programming and drum loops. It seems a lot of folk singers let the programming take over, but "Chestnut Hill," really the only song where programming takes a more prominent position, has subtle synth sounds that stop short of turning this into another Beth Orton debacle.

The last two songs are the highlights for me. "Remembering the Things You Have Seen" has a gorgeous swelling finish. Denison is layered on top of himself and it's a sublime moment, reminiscent of some of Destroyer's finer moments. The swell and grandeur fades into the starkest song on the album, "Saint Cecilia, (Ode to Music)." Recorded on the grand piano in the Ritz Carlton Hotel Ballroom in downtown Philadelphia during the dinner hour, it's a beautiful ode to faith and even more abstractly, to music in general. The organ swells as once again Denison is joined by himself on harmony. The vocals have tons of reverb on them and you feel like you're witnessing something very private, as if the whole thing was recorded in Denison's house on the fly.

As with most releases, there are some complaints. The length of Witmer's releases has always been an annoyance. This one is no exception with only 9 songs, a measly 30 or so minutes, and a song included on his last album. Now I grant that has nothing to do with the music. The only complaint musically is that the same formula seems to be repeated throughout. Start with Denison playing his acoustic guitar and slowly build up accompaniment, ending with electric guitar and general ambience and either a female singing with Denison, or a layering of Denisons. I would have loved to see The Six Parts Seven really go crazy with some of these songs. Not drowning out Denison or his guitar, but adding throughout, as opposed to always swelling in the end. Even still, this is a beautiful, ambience filled folk record. Denison seems to finally have found some accompaniment that highlights his playing instead of burying it in a generic drums/bass mix.

Before finishing I should say something about the packaging. Scott Hatch of Burnt Toast Vinyl has outdone himself. The lavish digipak with fold out panels and everything glossy coated is filled with pictures of places in Philadelphia handpicked by Denison himself. It really is a sight to behold.