2006, Self-released
Spider's self-released The Way to Bitter Lake, which is also the first release for Jane Herships under the moniker Spider, opens with a gentle sort of feeling that seems from a bygone era -- an era where feeling wasn't necessarily loud or outrageous, nor was it controntational; no, The Way to Bitter Lake is the sort of calm, relaxing outpouring of emotion that's buried beneath superficial piles of combinations of teenage angst and middle age crises.
The Way to Bitter Lake is, without a doubt, a seriously genuine outpouring of one woman's musical soul. This rare sort of venture is one that should rightly be cherished -- but inevitably is glazed over, excepting, of course, those oh-so-rare cases of successful heartfelt female musicians.
It is hard, though, to find a sole track to which the label "Single" can be applied; The Way to Bitter Lake is largely the same affair throughout. Consistency is no problem for Jane Herships; indeed, The Way to Bitter Lake is glorious in its consistent stylings. Even still, each song is distinct and discernable from the others. One notable example of such is 'Maggie's Song for Alice," which, nearing the end of the song, delves into the electric world with a lead guitar that's neither too loud nor too soft -- a perfect contrast to Jane's soft stylings.
At just over one half-hour in length, it's not given time to really become boring in any real sense of the word. The Way to Bitter Lake is a glaring example of the folksy songwriting that Jane Herships and others have embraced -- and have certainly succeeded at adapting. The Way to Bitter Lake is one of the year's most musically successful releases -- and, with any luck, one of the most recognized as well.