The New Denison Witmer Album

Sigh… sometimes I’m so far out of the loop it seems. I didn’t even know that Denison Witmer had signed to The Militia Group, much less that he was releasing a new album on July 26. The album is titled Are You A Dreamer? and as the title might imply, the album’s theme concerns the various aspects of dreaming. According to Witmer, the album is about:

[F]inding peace and remaining hopeful in a situation that feels completely out of control. A lot of people are feeling defeated right now. We’re full of anxiety associated with our society’s pressure to become something more important than what we feel we currently are. We’re constantly being told that if we’re not moving forward (or able to prove how we’ve gotten to where we are with perfect checks and balances) then we can’t be trusted or taken seriously. Are You A Dreamer? is giving in to life’s mysteries, picking yourself back up, and continuing to go for it even in the face of a string of failures.

The album is produced by Don Peris (who produced Witmer’s first album, Safe Away) and features contributions from Don and Karen Peris (The Innocence Mission), James McAlister (Ester Drang), and Sufjan Stevens. A clip can be found on The Militia Group’s website, and another song can be found on Witmer’s MySpace page.

Based on what little I’ve heard, the album feels lusher and more inline with Witmer’s earlier, folk-inspired recordings. Which is a very good thing, IMHO. Witmer’s music is certainly not the flashiest or showiest out there, but there’s a sincerity and intimacy about his music (especially on albums like the River Bends EP) that I’ve always found attractive. I wasn’t a big fan of the more rock-oriented sound he had with his River Bends project, so I’m glad to hear him getting back to his “roots” on this one.