by Jason Ankeny
Recorded live in San Sebastian, Spain, in support of their brilliant collaboration with the Japanese psych band Ghost, Song to the Siren is a near-perfect introduction to the wondrous world of Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang. In sharp contrast to virtually all other live acts, the twosome's music seems even more fragile and stark on-stage, its achingly spiritual beauty further enhanced by a crowd as reverentially quiet as church parishioners. While most of the material emanates from the With Ghost LP, the inclusion of earlier fan favorites like &Turn of the Century,& &Eye of the Storm,& and &The Navigator& colors in the duo's back catalog, and Michio Kurihara of Ghost accentuates the melodies with droning guitar figures as eerie and evocative as a theremin's wail. The disc includes a bonus DVD video tour diary directed by Yang, complete with a track of commentary that she provides along with Krukowski.