Daughter of Swords is the

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

side-project of the American musician Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, best known as a member of the band

Mountain Man A mountain man is an explorer who lives in the wilderness. Mountain men were most common in the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through to the 1880s (with a peak population in the early 1840s). They were instrumental in opening up ...

. Sauser-Monnig released her solo album as Daughter of Swords, entitled ''Dawnbreaker'', in 2019.

Background

Sauser-Monnig is originally from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. After nearly 10 years away from Mountain Man, Sauser-Monnig began to record solo material; before ''Dawnbreaker'' was completed, however, Mountain Man regrouped to record ''Magic Ship'' (2018). Having originally planned to use only vocals and guitar, on returning to ''Dawnbreaker'' Sauser-Monnig worked with Nick Sanborn of the electropo duo

Sylvan Esso Sylvan Esso is an American electronic pop duo from Durham, North Carolina, formed in 2013. The band consists of singer Amelia Meath (born July 2, 1988) and producer Nick Sanborn (born March 8, 1983). They made their debut with the single "Hey Mam ...

to incorporate other instrumentation. The songs "Grasses" and "Long Leaf Pine" also feature vocals by Mountain Man's

Amelia Meath Amelia Randall Meath (born July 2, 1988) is an American musician, songwriter, producer, and dancer who is a member of the musical groups Sylvan Esso and Mountain Man. She is based in Durham, North Carolina. Career Mountain Man (2010–presen ...

and

Molly Sarlé Molly Sarlé is an American musician. She is a member of the folk group Mountain Man (band), Mountain Man and in 2019 released a solo album, ''Karaoke Angel''. Early life and Mountain Man Sarlé was born in Santa Cruz, California, and attended Be ...

. The name "Daughter of Swords" refers to a

tarot The tarot (, first known as '' trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games such as Tarocchini. From their Italian roots, ...

card, which Sauser-Monnig describes as "sort of a card about not letting things that have inhibited you in the past stand in your way as you move forward into your future."

''Dawnbreaker'' (2019)

''Dawnbreaker'', Daughter of Swords' debut album, was released by

Bella Union Bella Union is a British independent record label founded in 1997 by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. It is now run solely by Raymonde. History After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twi ...

on June 28, 2019. It was preceded by the single "Gem". ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

''s Linnie Greene described the album as "a 10-song homage to the betwixt and between of a relationship in its twilight," consisting of "folksy riffs on well-trod terrain—heartbreak, confusion, hope that looks like the horizon on an open highway". Greene identified "Long Leaf Pine" as "the record’s highest achievement" and commented: "Its hardly a new vista, but Sauser-Monnig’s intimate, earthy songs make the view memorable all the same." Bob Fish of ''

Folk Radio UK Folk Radio UK, is an online Independent Music Journal covering a broad range of Folk music, Global music, Independent music, American Primitive Guitar, Drone Music and other alternative offerings. Established in 2004 by Alex Gallacher. the websi ...

'' commented that ''Dawnbreaker'' combines sadness with an emphasis on exploring new possibilities, and concluded that the album "surprises in the ability to put a positive spin onto some of life’s heartbreaking moments." Writing in ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'', Dean Van Nguyen described the album as "a suite so sophisticated, so nice on the ear, its replay value might well be limitless" and concluded "These are simple songs that are damn-near perfect." Reef Younis of ''

Loud and Quiet ''Loud and Quiet'' is a British bi-monthly music magazine that focuses on new music from underground indie, alternative, electronic and hip hop artists. History and profile The magazine was founded in January 2005 by Stuart Stubbs as a home-print ...

'' praised "Shining Woman", "Fields" and "Rising Sun" and identified the album as "an endearing, uplifting debut where each track feels like it’s been softly-spoken into the world and blown away with the breeze." ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

''s Zahraa Hmood wrote "On ''Dawnbreaker'', ten tracks elegantly come together to tell the story of a person at the crossroads of their life, and a quiet struggle towards contentment", and praised "Human" as "a poignant, but transformative, moment." In ''

The Arts Desk ''The Arts Desk'' (theartsdesk.com) is a British arts journalism website containing reviews, interviews, news, and other content related to music, theatre, television, films, and other art forms written by journalists from a variety of tradition ...

'', Kieron Tyler noted "Sauser-Monnig’s ebb-and-flow melodies, the transparency of her voice and the immediacy of delivery" and concluded "''Dawnbreaker'' could be a live album. And it’s in this setting that it’ll probably acquire an added directness."

Other work

In 2022, Sauser-Monnig and Mountain Man bandmate

formed The A's, who will release their debut album, ''Fruit'', in July 2022.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Living people American women singer-songwriters American folk singers 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singers American country singers Singer-songwriters from Minnesota Year of birth missing (living people)