Daughter of Swords—aka Mountain Man's Alexandra Sauser-Monnig—gave a Tiny Desk Concert for the staff of NPR back in February. She performed songs from her debut solo album, Dawnbreaker—"Long Leaf Pine" and "Shining Woman"—as well as her Jeff Tweedy–produced single "Prairie Winter Wasteland." "Between the rustic sweetness of the arrangements and Sauser-Monnig's between-song banter," says NPR Music's Stephen Thompson, "Daughter of Swords' set doubles as a fine way to trick your doctor into not prescribing blood-pressure medication. In anxious times, it'll settle you right down." You can watch it here. She has also released a new single, a cover of the hymn "What Wondrous Love Is This?," and has launched a Patreon.
Daughter of Swords—aka Mountain Man's Alexandra Sauser-Monnig—stopped by the NPR offices in Washington, DC, while on tour in February to perform a Tiny Desk Concert for the staff of NPR and NPR Music. She and her band, featuring members of Mandolin Orange, Hiss Golden Messenger, Dirty Projectors, and The Dead Tongues, performed songs from her debut solo album, Dawnbreaker—"Long Leaf Pine" and "Shining Woman"—as well as her Jeff Tweedy–produced single "Prairie Winter Wasteland." You can watch the set below.
"Between the rustic sweetness of the arrangements and Sauser-Monnig's between-song banter," says NPR Music's Stephen Thompson, "Daughter of Swords' set doubles as a fine way to trick your doctor into not prescribing blood-pressure medication. In anxious times, it'll settle you right down." You can read more at npr.org/music.
To pick up a copy of Dawnbreaker, head to your local record store's online store, the Daughter of Swords shop, Bandcamp, and the Nonesuch Store, where CD and vinyl orders include a download of the complete album at checkout, and iTunes and Amazon. You can also hear the album on Spotify, Apple Music, and other digital service providers.
Daughter of Swords has also released a new single, “What Wondrous Love Is This?,” offering a stripped-back cover of the hymn. The song will be available exclusively on Bandcamp this Friday, May 1, and can be heard here:
“I find myself singing the hymn 'What Wondrous Love Is This?' on tour a lot," says Sauser-Monnig. "Maybe it’s that I like how aggressive it feels to sing a hymn alone to a bar full of people. But it’s also because there is so much peace to be found in it. When I first heard it sung on a Jean Ritchie record called Black Waters, I burst into tears instantly. It’s such a beautiful reminder of the fact that in moments of great joy, great suffering or great overwhelm, the relief of surrendering to the wildness and unknowability of life is always available. There is always the option to drop into presence with the details. The movement of a leaf in a draft of air or the spinning of a ceiling fan or the feelings in your body. Being human is raw, especially now, and 'What Wondrous Love Is This?' is an invitation to touch down in the moment, and let yourself be.”
Daughter of Swords has also launched her Patreon today. Subscribers will receive an early digital download of “What Wondrous Love Is This?” as a digital download before its wide release, as well as have access to exclusive cover videos, livestream performances, merch discount codes, recipes, and other Daughter of Swords content that can’t be found elsewhere.
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