It’s something of a myth that getting the right producer means that an album will stand for maximum creative fulfillment and realisation, but equally you don’t stand much of a chance of making a good one with someone that there’s no chemistry with, so choosing wisely at the very least almost always saves time and heartache.
Bess Atwell kept going through her list of fantasy producers for Light Sleeper and the name of Aaron Dessner, but getting The National’s muse on board seemed like a pipe dream until after an exchange of messages on Instagram, a hail mary sending of demo material did the trick. Dessner has also been quick to point out that the pair were reciprocally enthusiastic about each other’s music already, and Atwell to her credit managed to keep starstruck off the menu to record the album’s ten songs with him in five days.
Light Sleeper refers to a cathartic period in which the singer was tapering – not a linear journey – off of anti depressants, and the subject matter has an intimacy that Dessner’s astute background work never overshadows. At it’s best on I Am Awake, Spinning Sun and The Weeping’s behind closed doors stories of domestic miss, it’s Atwell’s finest work by some distance. Fans producing fans shouldn’t work. But in this case the payoff is as sublime as it’s wonderful sounding.
You can read a full review here.
The Voice Of Unreason 