In the eight years that have passed between 2010's Made the Harbor and 2018's Magic Ship, Molly Erin Sarle, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, and Amelia Randall Meath have been exploring divergent paths, with the latter teaming up with Nick Sanborn for the stylish electropop project Sylvan Esso, and the other two pursuing solo careers. Little has changed musically for the trio (they never officially disbanded), who, on album number two, continue to weave their unembellished voices around old Appalachian folk tunes, rustic originals, and the occasional cover (Michael Hurley's "Blue Mountain" and Ted Lucas' "Baby Where You Are"). Like its equally austere predecessor, Magic Ship delivers a listening experience that's akin to eavesdropping. So unadorned are these largely a cappella songs, both on the production and execution side of the sonic equation, that it feels a bit like somebody stuck a microphone through a cracked door and caught Sarle, Sauser-Monnig, and Meath unawares. The tunes themselves, three covers and 11 originals, often feel interchangeable, like catching bits of a movie or a song on the radio between fits of sleep. The ones that stand out, like "Slow Wake Up Sunday Morning," "Rang Tang Ring Toon," and "Baby Where You Are," usually have some softly strummed acoustic guitar in the background, but even with accompaniment Magic Ship feels ephemeral. That said, it's understated vibe can be transfixing, and its intimacy disarming. It's like having your own private house show, only the performers have no idea you're in the same room with them.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo