Beneath Wind and Waves' Non-etre on CD

"I just try to write from my heart and stay out of my head," says Portland-based singer-songwriter Shawn Lawson Freeman, who is about to release his new album Non-etre in December under the band name Beneath Wind and Waves. Freeman provides most of the album's content including at least half of the instrumentation, and every second of this album is spent with his heart on his sleeve.

At first listen, these songs are almost too direct in their sentiments. Freeman is short on poetry and long on feeling, and his lyrics often reflect this and sound more like excerpts from a note that was slipped under your windshield wipers last night from the person you just dumped. Lyrics such as "You're the sugar in my tea/You're the one I want to see when you have to go away" won't alert the folks at the PEN Center, but after a while you merge with his specific wavelength and succumb to the all-heart, no brain approach.

The music side of the equation is much more immediate in its appeal. Within a few seconds you realize this is a carefully crafted and delicate album, more than capable of switching gears from soft ballad to rocking outro with a modicum of grace and logic. Freeman the musician is a tinkerer, and even in the quietest moments there's a lot going on in the mix. Even the lo-fi tracks such as "Loop Me in" have a clarity that demands your attention, and when he's just singing in his Will Oldham-meets-Sufjan Stevens demeanor, a simple acoustic guitar on his knee, there's still plenty of originality on the stage.

Stephanie Scheiderman, whose distinctive and playful Rubber Teardrop I reviewed just a couple of months ago, helps out on three songs and makes such a strong impression through the entire album that I thought she was a permanent member of the band, not just a "very special guest." She provides the female counterpoint to Freeman's longing and they create a tangible chemistry. Co-producer Jim Walker also provides half of the instrumentation as well as vocals.

This is Freeman's second album (his 2009 debut is called Nice to Meet You, which was released under his own name), and if there's a third I hope employs a little more mystery and lyricism to keep his more jaded fans engaged. At the same time, I suspect there are plenty of music lovers who just want to be talked to, questioned, comforted and embraced. Those fans will appreciate the love and wide-eyed directness of Non-etre.

Stephanie Schneiderman -- Rubber Teardrop

Trip-hop is an diffusive musical genre that encompasses everything from the smoky, sultry retro-torch of the Supreme Beings of Leisure to the stained, tortured laments of Beth Gibbons. While Portland-based singer-songwriter Stephanie Schneiderman begins her album Rubber Teardrop with a trio of songs that is closer to the former than the latter, it's only after about three songs that she truly finds her true spirit--and it's playfulness, not trippiness. Her innocent and youthful voice hasn't quite developed the edge that comes from years of hard living, so playing it straight and embracing a more light-hearted approach really pays off.

When that fourth song, the title track, appears with its sampled hurdy-gurdy--the winding sound even provides the beat--Rubber Teardrop comes alive and leaves those trip-hop stomping grounds behind. Sure, most of the songs that comprise the last two-thirds of the album boast enough shades of electronica to avoid the feeling of the purest pop, but she's still one of the artists who can be taken in so many different ways--straight pop singer, folkie, goth girl--depending upon how closely you're paying attention.

If you are paying attention, you'll immediately notice the dark, sullen and sexy cover of Elliot Smith's "Between the Bars," which is a smart (same whispery voice) and slightly daring (who else is covering Elliot these days?) choice. "Bridge on Fire" may possess a by-the-book dance beat, but it has a surprising go-your-own-way willingness to rock hard. And every once in a while you'll hear a few seconds of music and voice that remind you something cool like The Notwist or Natalie Merchant.

Finally, the sound quality is absolutely superb (Rubber Teardrop was produced in Portland by Auditory Sculpture)--far from the low-fi grumble of the last Portishead album (which I love, by the way, so that's not a knock). Amid all the electronic noises you'll find bassoons, ukuleles and slide guitars all sounding natural and beautiful. Again, if you listen closely to Rubber Teardrop and gently ignore the trip-hop claims, there's a lot to discover.