Faith and the Muse – Where The Land Meets The Sea

Im Zentrum der 90er Jahre Gothic Ära gibt es nur wenige Bands aus den Vereinigten Staaten, die stilprägend, populär und trotzdem immer kunstvoll die Grenzen des noch so jungen Gothic-Genres zu durchbrechen versuchten. „Faith and the Muse“ waren die materialisierte Romantik zwischen dem hünenhaften William Faith, der sich seine ersten Sporen bereits bei „Christian Death“ verdient hatte und seiner Muse, der feenhaften Erscheinung Monica Richards – damals noch Sängerin der Punkwave Formation „Strange Boutique“. Faith, wohnhaft in Los Angeles hatte nach einer umfangreichen Tournee mit „Shadow Projekt“ einen Gig in Washington, wo er im Vorprogramm Monica Richard erleben durfte und sich unsterblich in sie verliebte.
Der Rest ist Geschichte: Unzählige Alben und Tourneen auf allen Kontinenten festigten den Ruf des Duos. Mystik, Weltmusik, Romantik und Gothic wurden zu einer musikalischen Traumreise auf höchstem Niveau verwoben. Nach fast zwei Jahrzehnten und vielen Alben trennten sich die gemeinsamen Wege und die Beziehung – Das Feuer erlosch und „Faith and the Muse“ waren Geschichte. Jetzt haben sich die beiden engagierten Tierschützer, Veganer und Musiker
entschlossen, gemeinsam die wichtigsten Stücke ihrer Karriere zu einer Doppel CD zu vereinen. Entstanden ist ein Monument und zeitloses Dokument der Hochzeit der Gothickultur. Eine Doppel CD im Digifile mit vielen raren Fotodokumenten und persönlichen Linernotes, die in keiner Sammlung fehlen darf.

Music can be mythic. Its powers can be magical, and its effect transformative. Music has the capacity to awaken wonder, nostalgia, even sanctity. A handful of artists have been able to restore the sacred power of music. Enter Faith and the Muse… Faith and the Muse brings out deeply emotional responses from their fans. They have been called “an art band with a pop sensibility”; always refusing to conform to passing fads in music. The duo
came together in 1993 at the center of the 90’s Classic Goth era, with the intention of taking music to new heights; both being established veterans in Underground music. William Faith played with such cult icons as Christian Death and Shadow Project; Monica Richards, who got her start in music
fronting Washington harDCore punk bands in the early 1980’s, made a name for herself in the post-punk outfit, Strange Boutique.
With the release of five albums and one double CD live/remix album, along with extensive touring throughout the U.S. and Europe for almost two decades, the band had managed to gain the attention of a vast assortment of music fans, owing to their constantly evolving sound: indefinable but unmistakable.
Though the idea to put out a „Best of Faith and the Muse“ release had been talked of often, only now is it being realized by Dance Macabre Records. It’s been 7 years since the band has put out anything, and somehow the world has changed in such a way, that many people may see their music as something of a bygone era. Yet remembering Faith and the Muse and the brilliance of their music may be what we all need right now. While sequestering us inside the mythical and mystical environment of their Otherworldly music, they bring to light the real elements that are true within all of us: a quiet and perfect human connection that has guided our hearts throughout history, yet in this world, is commonly lost.
A „Best of“ became the „Best Loved Songs“ of Faith and the Muse. Monica Richards and WIlliam Faith, the duo that makes up the critically acclaimed band, decided to choose their own personal favorites. The entire booklet for the 2-CD Set is full of memories in their own words for each song
chosen, immersed in photos and the original album covers to give it the feeling of each era from which the music was derived.
„Where the Land Meets the Sea: The Best Loved Songs of Faith and the Muse“ is a fantastic collector’s item for old and new fans alike.

„Where the Land Meets the Sea: The Best Loved Songs of Faith and the Muse“ is a completely unique perspective of their music. The playlist has been created especially by the band as well, with the diversity of their songs split into two distinct playlists, „The Land“ is full of the harder-edged,
dark rock songs, and „The Sea“ is more of the Classical, acoustic and ambient pieces. What does the music of Faith and the Muse mean to new fans? This 2-CD set will introduce the band to a new generation.

William Faith:

„We’d always discussed how tricky doing an actual “Best of” would be for a band like ours. Being so diverse in style makes the song selection that much more difficult, as you want the end result to be as balanced as possible. It was quite the experience going back through all the
songs to pick our best and brightest for this; a heady journey through the old albums, and the league of memories that surface in doing so. In the end, I think we’ve done a good job of it. We were both invested in the process, and the creative tension that has always been an essential part of our work
together was present all the way through it, from the song choices to the artwork. What you have here is the better part of 20 years of blood, sweat and tears, delivered, as ever, with our love and thanks.“

Monica Richards:

„When we were asked about making a ‚Best of‘ compilation, I found that hard to really do. I’m a music fan as well, and with the bands that I love, I often wouldn’t agree with the ‚Best of‘ choices put out by record labels. Which song is „Best“? It’s all so subjective. We decided to
make this compilation more of a personal choice, songs we ourselves picked with our own memories about them. The title ‚From the Land to the Sea‘ is based on the diversity of the music of Faith and the Muse. So for this compilation, we created an all new kind of playlist: gathering the
more orchestral, ambient and/or acoustic works together on one CD, entitled „The Sea“ and the harder, rock-based songs collected on „The Land“. With this, we present a Timeless mix of great memories for our long-time fans, and possibly introduce two decades of music to a new generation.“