WERS 88.9 fm - Album Review: Dagmar - Door No. 2

October 12, 2009

Dagmar, the NYC and Boston-based folk band, have garnered a sort of underground buzz for their music. The diligent duo has performed in a variety of unique venues, ranging from small clubs in the New York and Boston area to churches, and even subway stops.  Dawning a pair of green pixie wings and an aviator cap and goggles, Meghan McGeary sings earnestly, while Jim Bauer strums along on his acoustic guitar, singing as well. The two have been making music together since 2001, and in 2005 they formed Dagmar, an ethereal yet edgy folk act. They have braved the city, playing for an estimated 6,000 people per hour in the subway stations of NYC's MTA program Music Under New York (MUNY). Recently they have been in Boston, also on streets and subway stops, playing for, as they describe, "people in motion."

Door No. 2, their second album, features a mix of passionate lyrics and biting vocals.  Their American folk style is paired with enchanting, almost haunting songs, like "When The Bears Begin To Sleep." The first track, "The Isle Of Kokovoko" begins with a foreboding guitar, and a quick beat, with the vocals adding an eerie timbre.

The energy, though at times ominous, is consistent throughout the album. In the song, "Breathe We Must," the intro features wind and sirens, which seem to caution the listener about worldly perils described through the lyrics, "Must not hang around the little black boats/must not let them slither down our throats. "

Some songs are lively and theatrical with operatic vocals, and occasionally vocalized in spoken word format, as exhibited on the track, "Concessions Redux." This makes for an eclectic mix of songs. They are often narratives, inspired by the likes of Herman Melville, and Lord Alfred Tennyson among others. Songs like, "Secret Agent Man," and, "Peccadillo," speak of the human condition, and modern day dilemmas.

Each track takes its listener on a journey of varied sounds and emotions; some start out sad, then transitioning into a more uplifting melody. Others march forward, poignant and truthful. The album itself is a macrocosm of this -- a mystical tale set in a modern cityscape. 

-Micaela Mielniczenko